The Singer Building was the Russian headquarters for the Singer sewing machine company. The company built the structure in 1904. They had wanted a skyscraper similar to their New York headquarters, but St Petersburg had height restrictions. The architect, Pavel Siuzor, added the corner tower with the globe to give make sky scraper-like impression. The building housed the American consulate until WWII and The globe has only recently been restored.

A good source of info about this and many many other structures in Russia is the book: Landmarks of Russian Architecture: A Photographic Survey, by William Craft Brumfield. Brief, but detailed descriptions accompany each photo.