It is one of the buildings of the National Research University Higher School of Economics St. Petersburg, a centre for postgraduate education. But it is also an architectural monument located in the very centre of Tsarskoye Selo, next to the imperial residences. It belonged to Vasily Kotchoubey, a member of a very ancient noble family that served Russian rulers from Peter the Great to Nicholas II. Vasily Kotchoubey was a courtier of the last Russian Emperor, His Majesty's Master of Ceremonies.

Vasily Kotchoubey was a courtier of Nicolas II, the last Russian Emperor, His Majesty's Master of Ceremonies.

The ceremonial part of the Ministry of the Imperial Court was responsible for planning and carrying out political meetings, religious and secular ceremonies, public speeches of the Emperor. During the time of Vasily Kotchoubey’s service audiences were held with representatives from several European countries: Great Britain, France, Italy, Greece, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, etc.; from Middle East: Iran, Emirate of Bukhara; from Asia: Japan, China; from Americas: USA, Mexico, Portugal.

The building permit for the mansion was issued by the Tsarskoye Selo Palace Board on June 10, 1911, after the project was approved by the Minister of the Imperial Court and the cornerstone of the building was laid on June 23.

The project was started by the talented architect Alexander Tamanian (Russian-born Armenian neoclassical architect, well known for his work in the city of Yerevan in late 1920s) and finished by Nikolai Lansere. The mansion had been built rather quickly, and in the autumn of 1913 the Kotchoubey family moved into the new house. The first housewarming ball took place on the night of 13-14 January 1914.

Vasily Petrovich Kotchoubey and his beloved wife Varvara had 8 children — 4 boys and 4 girls. The family lived in the mansion for a short time — in the summer of 1914 the First World War began.
Vasily Petrovich Kotchoubey stayed in the mansion and served the Emperor until 1917, and soon after the dissolution of the Russian Empire he left for Europe. The fates of the children turned out differently, the descendants of the Kotchoubey family now live all over the Europe, and the USA.