A businessman from Yelabuga buys monument for a ruble to open a boutique hotel
The entrepreneur is reviving a historic merchant's mansion to open it in 2027
A hotel with 15 rooms in a merchant style as well as a cafe with old Russian cuisine will appear in the centre of Yelabuga, in a historic building on 9, Toyminskaya Street. The project is being implemented by local entrepreneur Dmitry Kapin whose family has undertaken to save the old mansion from destruction by taking part in the republican programme Cultural Heritage Site for One Ruble. Despite the preferential price of the monument, its restoration will require significant funds — the volume of investments is estimated at 100 million rubles. The owner of the property told why he decided to restore the building and how the idea of a business with a hotel arose.
“We couldn't calmly watch the building fall apart”
The ancient building in the historical centre of Yelabuga on 9, Toyminskaya Street 9 is a former merchant's house from the 19th century and a cultural heritage site of regional significance. The two-story house has fallen into disrepair in recent years, and in search of an investor, the monument was put up for auction, where it was purchased by the Kapins family.
“We couldn't calmly watch the historical building fall apart. This place is close to us, because there used to be a library here, where I often went to get books. The architectural appearance of the building is beautiful, but its poor condition made my heart clench. When the opportunity arose to buy this house for literally a symbolic ruble, I didn't hesitate for a second,” shared Dmitry Kapin.
The first stage of the large-scale reconstruction was cleaning the premises from the garbage and rubbish that had accumulated over many years. The next step will be repairing the roof, since leaks cause significant damage to the internal structures. In parallel, preparatory activities are being carried out to create a project for further restoration.
“First, we need to put the building in order, clean it in order to assess the damage and plan the next steps. The external facade has already been cleared, the next stage will be working on the roof, which has long been in need of repair. Then we will begin developing the design documentation, which is being prepared free of charge by Tatinvestgrazhdanproekt. The authorities of the republic decided to help us with the design of the house, without a project, no restoration is carried out,” the entrepreneur said, expressing gratitude for the help with the project.
The design work is financed by the republic thanks to the support of the rais of Tatarstan after a meeting in Yelabuga, where the problem of high costs for business was explained to Rustam Minnikhanov. The owner will independently pay for the restoration work, which will begin after the design is completed. The project is planned to be launched in two years, meaning that the first guests will move into the new hotel in 2027. “Restoration of the old building is difficult due to its neglected state and the need to replace all utilities. The cost of the work is high — about 250,000 rubles per square meter. It is impossible to name the exact investment until the project is ready. The payback of the project has not yet been assessed, the main task is to start work,” Dmitry shared.
Taking into account the area of the building — 400 square metres — and the cost of restoration of one square metre it is not difficult to calculate that the minimum investment that this monument will require will be 100 million rubles. It is possible that additional costs will arise during the work, and the amount will increase. “Restoration of the old building is difficult due to its neglected state and the need to replace all utilities.”
The owners of the monument intend to turn the restored mansion into a hotel, thereby contributing to the development of the city's tourist infrastructure. The cultural heritage site is planned to be maintained in the style of merchant houses of the late 19th — early 20th centuries. The first and second floors will be adapted for modern use — a hotel with 15 rooms, and utility rooms will be located in the basement.
On the territory of the paved courtyard in the open air, it is planned to open a café based on the famous merchant cuisine, where visitors will be able to try traditional Russian dishes: cabbage soup, borscht, and merchant-style pelmeni. According to the entrepreneur, the number of visitors to Yelabuga is steadily growing thanks to cultural events that are regularly held, but the shortage of accommodation creates significant inconveniences. The city hosts the following events: Tsvetayeva Readings, the international music festival Summer Evenings in Yelabuga, the all-Russian Spasskaya Fair, the bell ringing festival and other themed events that attract many guests, but there is no place to accommodate them — there are not enough places in the hotels. “We want to revive the historical monument, turning it into a full-fledged component of city life,” Dmitry concluded.
From Ikonnikov's shops and the school to the library and the House of Pioneers
The cultural heritage site at 9, Toyminskaya Street is known as the “City School Building, 1890s”. The building was built in 1870 for the merchant Ikonnikov, his shops were located here, at the beginning of the 20th century the new owners of the building — the heirs of the merchant F.P. Girbasov, having significantly rebuilt the house, donated it to the city school. In Soviet times, there was a children's library and the House of Pioneers here. Now the building is in an abandoned state. It has characteristic details with stucco decorations and stone inserts, metal openwork grilles have been preserved on the outside, and fragments of interiors from the 19th — 20th centuries are inside.
Work on the project to preserve the cultural heritage site is being carried out jointly with the executive committee of the Yelabuga district and the Tatarstan Committee for the Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites, they will contribute to the implementation of the concept of sustainable development of the historical center of Yelabuga, the departments note. The main goal of the concept is to form a set of architectural, economic and urban planning recommendations, the implementation of which will contribute to the preservation and development of the uniqueness and specific features of the historical settlement of Yelabuga during the implementation of construction, economic and social activities on its territory.
18 monuments were sold for one ruble in two years
As Realnoe Vremya was told by the Committee of the Republic of Tatarstan for the Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites, one of the tools for attracting private investment in the field of preserving historical and architectural monuments, provided for by federal legislation, is the sale of emergency facilities at a starting preferential price of 1 ruble, subject to their restoration within the established time frame. In 2023-2025, 18 sites were sold at a preferential price in Kazan, Yelabuga and Chistopol. The authorities of the republic actively support this preferential program.
After restoration, these objects can be adapted for new purposes — from museums and restaurants to hotel complexes, excluding industrial facilities. This step is aimed at preserving the cultural heritage of the republic and involving emergency facilities in economic circulation. The Republic of Tatarstan provides support to entrepreneurs as part of the first stage of restoration — design by the design institute of Tatarstan TIGP.
The Executive Committee of Yelabuga District reported that within the framework of the program for selling objects for one ruble in the city, five buildings have already received new owners who are ready to invest in restoring the lost appearance of cultural heritage sites, breathing a second life into them.
Among the planned projects are the creation of a museum in a house on 45, Kazanskaya Street, the placement of offices and catering establishments in house 9 on 10 Let Tatarstana Street, as well as the opening of a hostel. Mansions for a ruble are not a gift from the state
The symbolic price of one ruble is explained by strict obligations to preserve monuments: buyers must restore the buildings within five years, and complete the main work on the facades within three years.
Chairman of the Tatarstan Committee for the Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites Ivan Gushchin noted that this measure should attract investors who are ready not only to buy, but also to restore ancient buildings. It is important that buyers can use the buildings for different purposes, be it hotels or shops, but they are required to follow the established restoration plan. There are hundreds of historical sites in the republic, and the offer to buy for a ruble opens up new opportunities for their preservation.
The source emphasized the importance of the initiative, noting that such measures allow attracting interested investors who are striving to preserve monuments of the past. The preferential price is due to the strict terms of the contract: the new owners will have to carry out a full cycle of restoration work within the established time frame, preserving the appearance of the historical buildings.
“This is not a charity project for businessmen. On the one hand, this is “a kind of gift from the state”, because the businessman receives property rights to the property with an encumbrance. But on the other hand, security obligations are drawn up for five years. For this period, there is a plan of activities that must be carried out annually. At the design stage, it is decided what will be located in the building. For example, it can be apartments, a hostel, a restaurant or something else. The main thing is that there are no dangerous industries, so that the objects survive,” explained Ivan Gushchin.
At all stages, the repair and restoration work is supervised by the Committee. After all the restoration requirements are met, the encumbrances are removed, and the renovated historical building is put into operation.