The Dzerzhinsky Culture Palace became the cultural center of the city only in the 1920s, although this building was originally the Epiphany Church. The temple was built in 1879 on the site of the old Resurrection Church, which had fallen into disrepair. The main funding for the construction was provided by the Tambov noble leader Sergey Bashmakov, who donated 20,000 rubles, which today is equivalent to almost 21 million. The interior decoration of the church included stucco and painting, as well as the famous icon of Christ the Savior, adorned with gold and silver of 84th grade. A special ark made of linden wood costing 750 rubles was created for the icon. The Epiphany Church stood out among other churches in the city with its tall bell tower, which reached 40 meters and was visible even from the right bank of the Sura River. However, in 1891, during a strong hurricane, the bell tower collapsed onto Yarmarka Square, narrowly missing pedestrians. At the same time, the scaffolding around the tower became a popular viewing platform. In 1891, when the future Emperor Nicholas II passed through the Penza-I station, people risked their lives to climb to the top of the tower to see him up close.