The most destructive flood in St. Petersburg happened on September 10, 1777. As a result of a terrible flood, accompanied by a strong wind, the area between the mouths of the Moika and Fontanka and a significant part of Vasilyevsky Island were completely flooded. Mostly sailors, builders and ordinary employees settled in these areas, who themselves felt all the destructive power of the natural elements. The Summer Garden was also badly damaged.

In the last quarter of the 18th century, the gradual destruction of the appearance of the regular Summer Garden begins. The reason for this was the floods, the strongest which occurred on September 10, 1777. It served as a pretext for the destruction of the decoration of the garden, which became alien to the new time, in the nature of which a desire for the naturalness of park compositions appeared. Pavilions and pavilions gradually disappear from the garden. In 1781, Catherine II gave an order on the fountain system: “We command all work that has been related to fountains to this day to be stopped, the amount allocated for that to be used to complete the building in the Hermitage.”