In the 1930s this house had one of the outlets of the famous Russian pastry shop – the Tchakalian Bakery. During Russian Easter the shop windows used to display giant chocolate bunnies. Today's residents of the buildings are resisting demolition – good for them!
The L-shaped standalone villa behind the store fronts is the former Russian Women's Convent of Our Lady of Vladimir (presided by the Abbess Ariadna).
Abbess Ariadna (Avgusta Michurina; 1900-1996) was a close friend and subordinate of Archbishop John of Shanghai, the cornerstone of the Russian Orthodox community. In 1949 Shanghai's Orthodox institutions moved to San Francisco. Abbess Ariadna moved together with her convent and continued her work overseas in the same capacity. She was a simple, uneducated women, completely devoted to Father John.
