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Gorchakov Memorial School is located on the territory of the former country residence of the architect Alexander Pavlovich Bryullov. The main building was designed by Bryullov himself in 1837, and construction began that same year. The first floor is constructed of stone, the second of timber, and the building is covered by a gable-style roof. To the west of the main building, connected by a two-story wing, is a four-story brick tower, topped with an observation platform and a dome similar to that of an observatory. Not only was astronomical observation a hobby of Bryullov's, he was also the architect of St. Peterburg's Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory.

Alexander Pavlovich Bryullov designed and reconstructed many buildings in and around St. Petersburg. Among his most famous works are the Mikhailovski Theater on Arts Square, the Guard Corps Headquarters on Palace Square, the Lutheran Church of St. Peter and St. Paul on Nevski Prospect, and the Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory in suburban St. Petersburg.

Alexander's brother, the artist Karl Pavlovich Bryullov, is so well known that much need not be said about him or his works. However, for those who may need a little reminder, he painted The Last Day of Pompeii.

Bryullov's desire to have a summer residence in Pavlovsk apparently began in the early 1830s, when he reconstructed the house of the actress Yulia Pavlovna Samoylova on her nearby estate. Additionally, he was probably attracted to Pavlovsk by the living conditions and by the demands for his architectural expertise in designing the many summer residences which were being built around Pavlovsk at that time.