Alexander Stieglitz (1814–1884) was the son of Ludwig Ivanovich Stieglitz, who had moved from St. Petersburg to Germany to pursue business opportunities. His youngest son, Alexander, studied ancient studies and art at the University of Dorpat (Tartu, Estonia) (Slippens, 2014). However, he followed in his father's footsteps and went into business in the industrial sector. In early 1876, he decided to donate a considerable sum of money to found a technical drawing school in St. Petersburg in honor of his father (Dawson, 1984).
The building was designed by architects Hedike and Krakau, who completed its construction in 1881. Shortly after the work was finished, Stieglitz decided to open a museum of applied arts so that students could train there. Its construction was carried out by Mesmacher, an architect who carried out the work between 1885 and 1896 (Slippens, 2014). Initially, the museum's funds were made up of Alexander Stieglitz's collection, but over time they received numerous donations from private individuals. After the 1917 revolution, the Hermitage took over the museum's collection.
Bibliography
DAWSON, Aileen (1984): "The Stieglitz Museum", Apollo, pp. 312-317.