Major-General Sergei Ivanovich Mal’tsov included minarets in the design of this two-storey palace. As if the minarets were not curiosity enough, Mal'tsov built the palace of crystal.
Catherine II ennobled the Mal’tsovs, a merchant family, in 1775. Ivan Akimovich acquired vast wealth through metallurgy, and owned lands and factories in several provinces, including a successful glass factory in Briansk (which might explain the choice of building material for the palace). In the early nineteenth century he made an initial purchase of 30 desiatinas from Major Revelioti. Sergei Ivanovich, Mal'tsov's son and heir, was educated in mechanics, physics, and foreign languages. He married Princess Anastasiia Nikolaevna Urusova. He retired at age 39 with the rank of major-general and built the palace at Simeiz.