By the 19th century at the latest the growth of Moscow meant that the Arbat was now in the centre of the city rather than at its edge, and so it became an ever more desirable place to live.
In 1736 about half the street was destroyed in yet another fire, but by the second half of the 18th century it was already being described as the "Moscow Boulevard Saint-Germain."
In 1793 about 33 of the 56 houses on the Arbat belonged to nobility or to civil servants.
Amongst the nobles who had houses built for them on or near the Arbat were such celebrated families as the Tolstoys, the Gagarins, the Kropotkins, the Galitzines and the Sheremetevs.
Nevertheless, despite its proximity to the Kremlin and to the seat of power, the district was considered to be tranquil, almost rural.
By this period there was hardly any manufacture on the street, and also less trade than in other parts of Moscow.

However the Arbat continued to serve as the most important way into and out of Moscow towards the West.
During Napoleon's Russian Campaign of 1812, French troops led by Joachim Murat used the street to get to the Kremlin.
This event is mentioned in Leo Tolstoy's epic novel War and Peace, written 50 years afterwards.

The fire lit during the battle for Moscow in 1812 destroyed large parts of the predominantly wooden city, and also decimated the Arbat.
The results of the energetic period of rebuilding in the 1810s can still be seen today, in the surviving houses of the Empire style, which was characteristic for the period.
Towards the end of the 19th century, the architecture changed to Art Nouveau, with many luxury apartment buildings being built in this style.
These buildings, with as many as six or seven floors, were technologically remarkable for the period, and fitted with all modern conveniences.
Around a dozen are still to be seen along the Arbat today.
In the last years of the 20th century and the first of the 21st, they were all renovated and made into plush domiciles or offices.

In the second half of the 19th century, the Arbat also moved away from being a purely aristocratic part of town, and became a popular place for artists to live.
This was mainly due to the fact that many of the poets, thinkers, musicians and actors who had shaped Russia's cultural life came from the middle and lower nobility, sometimes from impoverished noble families.
It was around the Arbat that Russia's intelligentsia began to develop, largely made up of young educated nobles who were not afraid to criticize society.
Alexander Pushkin lodged in one of its mansions for a short time, and there is a statue of him and his wife, Natalie, in front of the house.
Another famous inhabitant was the writer Andrey Bely, many of whose novels feature impressionist portrayals of the area.
Thus over time the Arbat lost its richest noble inhabitants, who  preferred the splendid districts around the Kremlin and Tverskaya Street over the would-be rural idyll of the Arbat.
By the start of the 20th century, the Arbat had become popular with the middle classes, and academics, doctors and lawyers settled in the area.
By the 19th century at the latest the growth of Moscow meant that the Arbat was now in the centre of the city rather than at its edge, and so it became an ever more desirable place to live. In 1736 about half the street was destroyed in yet another fire, but by the second half of the 18th century it was already being described as the "Moscow Boulevard Saint-Germain." In 1793 about 33 of the 56 houses on the Arbat belonged to nobility or to civil servants. Amongst the nobles who had houses built for them on or near the Arbat were such celebrated families as the Tolstoys, the Gagarins, the Kropotkins, the Galitzines and the Sheremetevs. Nevertheless, despite its proximity to the Kremlin and to the seat of power, the district was considered to be tranquil, almost rural. By this period there was hardly any manufacture on the street, and also less trade than in other parts of Moscow.
However the Arbat continued to serve as the most important way into and out of Moscow towards the West. During Napoleon's Russian Campaign of 1812, French troops led by Joachim Murat used the street to get to the Kremlin. This event is mentioned in Leo Tolstoy's epic novel War and Peace, written 50 years afterwards. 
The fire lit during the battle for Moscow in 1812 destroyed large parts of the predominantly wooden city, and also decimated the Arbat. The results of the energetic period of rebuilding in the 1810s can still be seen today, in the surviving houses of the Empire style, which was characteristic for the period. Towards the end of the 19th century, the architecture changed to Art Nouveau, with many luxury apartment buildings being built in this style. These buildings, with as many as six or seven floors, were technologically remarkable for the period, and fitted with all modern conveniences. Around a dozen are still to be seen along the Arbat today. In the last years of the 20th century and the first of the 21st, they were all renovated and made into plush domiciles or offices.
In the second half of the 19th century, the Arbat also moved away from being a purely aristocratic part of town, and became a popular place for artists to live. This was mainly due to the fact that many of the poets, thinkers, musicians and actors who had shaped Russia's cultural life came from the middle and lower nobility, sometimes from impoverished noble families. It was around the Arbat that Russia's intelligentsia began to develop, largely made up of young educated nobles who were not afraid to criticize society. Alexander Pushkin lodged in one of its mansions for a short time, and there is a statue of him and his wife, Natalie, in front of the house. Another famous inhabitant was the writer Andrey Bely, many of whose novels feature impressionist portrayals of the area. Thus over time the Arbat lost its richest noble inhabitants, who  preferred the splendid districts around the Kremlin and Tverskaya Street over the would-be rural idyll of the Arbat. By the start of the 20th century, the Arbat had become popular with the middle classes, and academics, doctors and lawyers settled in the area.
Arbat Street