The Yelagin Palace was originally built between 1785 and 1790 for the historian Ivan Yelagin. In the early 19th century it was purchased by Emperor Alexander I who had it reconstructed to serve as a summer residence for his mother Empress Dowager Maria Fyodorovna who could no longer manage the trips to the summer palaces outside St Petersburg. The work was completed in 1822. After the death of Maria Fyodorovna in 1828 the palace's status decreased and it was often overlooked. In the late 19th century it became the home of the morganic wife of Emperor Alexander II - Yekaterina Dolgorukova, Princess Yurievskaya - and then used as a holiday residence for Russian prime ministers.  It was turned into a museum after the Revolution and heavily damaged during the Second World War. It was subsequently restored and, in addition to holding various temporary exhibits, the restored interiors are now open to the public.