However, most of all, this building is known as the premises of the famous English Club, which is mentioned in Pushkin's novel Eugene Onegin and in Griboedov's play Woe from Wit. This club has been an elite men's club since 1780. Members of the best families in Russia elected by secret ballot were admitted there. The minister went around all members of the club with a special box where black and white balls were lowered. If there were more black balls, the neophyte's candidacy was rejected and no longer put to the vote. For example, F. IN. Bulgarin, Prince Chernyshev and Count Kleinmikhel. Many years waited for their election, but remained unaccepted: the queue sometimes stretched to two thousand candidates. On the contrary, for some people, the title of honorary member of the club was invented, for example, Prince P. AND. Bagration, Generals A. P. Yermolov, D. IN. Davydov, M. F. Orlov, who signed the surrender of Paris in 1814, M. D. Skobelev said. There was a special rule about the ladies: they were not even allowed to visit the English club.

Alexander Pushkin, like many of his relatives, was a member of this club. What could he do here? First of all, communicate with other “chosen ones” - E. A. Baratynsky, P. ME. Chaadayev, N. M. Karamzin, V. A. Zhukovsky, I. A. Krylov, V. F. Odoevsky, L. N. Tolstoy, N. IN. Gogol. All of them were regular visitors to the club. It was not only literature or politics that was discussed. The gastronomic qualities of the gourmet lunches served here on Wednesdays and Saturdays have often been the focus of attention. In addition, the club had an excellent library and fresh press. This place was famous not only as a center for intellectual communication and dining. There was a room here called the hell room. In it, gamblers could lose their entire fortune at cards. There was also a “smart” room, or “talking room”, for those who were hungry for spiritual food and cultural rhetoric.

After the revolution, the palace began to collapse rapidly, but the decision of the city authorities to arrange a Museum of the Revolution here saved the building from complete looting. However, revolutionary pathos was poorly combined with aristocratic luxury, so the stands with exhibits covered part of the stucco jewelry with Masonic symbols. In general, the Razumovsky Palace has been perfectly preserved to this day in all its splendor.