The House of the Gentry Assembly is one of the oldest buildings in the city of Tula. It was opened in 1856. For almost two centuries, it has played an important role in the city culture. Over the years, the building housed the Internationale Workers Club, the House of Soviets, the House of Health Education, the Tula Museum of Art and History, the House of the Red Army, and the House of Officers.
The heart of the House of the Gentry Assembly is the famous Column Hall. The hall has excellent acoustics; it is considered to be on par with the St. Petersburg State Academic Capella and the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. The walls of the hall have witnessed the visits of many great people. Over the years, Emperor Nicholas II, writers and poets L.N. Tolstoy, I.S. Turgenev, A.S. Khomyakov, V.V. Mayakovsky, N.N. Aseev, actors and musicians N.N. Figner, M.N. Ermolova, O.L. Knipper-Chekhova, V.P. Beloborodov, N.I. Hegstrom, D.A. Agrenev-Slavyansky, L.V. Sobinov, S.Ya. Lemeshev, I.S. Kozlovsky, L.O. Utesov, and many others stopped by.
The building also has a chamber hall, which currently hosts chamber music concerts, rehearsals, and concerts by the Governor’s Brass Band.
In 2013, the House of the Gentry Assembly was transferred to the Tula Regional Philharmonic named after I.A. Mikhailovsky. The building was restored and became available to visitors on April 28, 2015. Forums, exhibitions, performances, and concerts of classical music have been held in the House of the Gentry Assembly since then.
The Gentry Assembly conducts interactive tours designed for different age categories, “The Gentry Style”, “The Secrets of the Gentry Assembly”, and holds literary and musical salons.
