Aruküla manor (Arroküll) evolved into an independent estate in the 17th century. The manor house seen today was built in 1782-1789, but suffered damage in a fire around 1800 and was subsequently rebuilt in a typical St. Petersburg-style Neoclassicism, with details such as decorative stucco laurel wreaths and a wrought-iron fence surrounding the manor park.
Russian general Karl Wilhelm von Toll, mentioned by Tolstoy in his epic "War and Peace", lived on Aruküla manor and is buried in a chapel on the grounds.
References:House of the Blackheads (Melngalvju nams) is a building situated in the old town of Riga. The original building was erected during the first third of the 14th century for the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a guild for unmarried German merchants in Riga. Major works were done in the years 1580 and 1886, adding most of the ornaments.
The structure was bombed to a ruin by the Germans June 28, 1941 and the remains demolished by the Soviets in 1948. The current reconstruction was erected from 1995 to 1999. Today the House of Blackheads serves as a museum and sometimes concert hall.