5th House of Soviets, Apartment building complex in Arbat District, Moscow, Russia

The 5th House of Soviets is a four-storey eclectic apartment complex at Romanov Lane 3, buildings 1, 6 and 7, in Moscow. Built on a high basement with a mansard level, its three wings enclose a formal courtyard with a surviving cast-iron fountain, separated from the lane by a historic fence and gates. The left wing is long along the lane, the right one narrow; the facade mixes French Baroque and Renaissance motifs, and a Soviet-era USSR emblem sits on the small pediment above the central entrance.

Count Aleksandr Sheremetev commissioned architect A. F. Meisner to build these revenue houses in 1895–1898 on his estate. Early tenants included Bolshoi Theatre artists, Moscow Conservatory musicians and the future academician S. S. Nametkin. After nationalisation in the 1920s the flats went to leading party figures and military commanders, among them Molotov, Khrushchev, Zhukov and Rokossovsky; 26 residents were shot during the Stalinist repressions.

Memorial plaques on the facade name many residents, among them Molotov, Khrushchev, Zhukov and Rokossovsky. The house is still residential: the painter Alexander Shilov lives here, and many flats now belong to foreign businessmen. During the Stalinist repressions, 26 residents of the building were sentenced to be shot.

The complex stands at Romanov Pereulok 3, buildings 1, 6 and 7, in the Arbat District, a short walk from Arbatskaya metro stations. The buildings remain residential, so only the courtyard, the cast-iron fountain and the historic fence with gates can be seen; entry to the stairwells and flats is not open to visitors.

The three connected sections of the complex come from different building phases and show how the property expanded over time. This fragmented structure is a rare example today of how a residential complex grew during Moscow's rapid expansion.