Many residents of Tambov are familiar with the beautiful old building at 2 Sergeeva-Tsenskii Street. This building is known as the former 19th school or sports school No. 3. Originally, it housed the First Tambov Theological School, founded in 1818. This educational institution represented an intermediate level of religious education between the primary parish school and the theological seminary. Typically, the school accepted the sons of clergymen aged 10-12, who studied on a full boarding basis for 5-6 years. Among the graduates was a native of the Tambov province, the venerable elder Ambrose of Optina, who graduated from the school in 1830.

Initially, the wooden buildings of the school and the dormitory for students were located on the banks of the Tsna River, but later the territory was significantly expanded. In 1893, a decision was made to build a new brick building, the project of which was developed by the famous Tambov architect T.A. Svirchevsky. The new building opened in 1896. The building, symmetrical in facade, was two stories high with a large basement. The semi-circular arches of the windows, round windows in the pediments, and abundance of brick decorations give the structure an expressive appearance. On the second floor, a house church of John Chrysostom was opened.

After the closure of the school in 1918, the building housed a general education school. During the Great Patriotic War, it served as an evacuation hospital, and a patriotic inscription for the soldiers of the Red Army appeared on the wall at the back of the building. After a new building was constructed for the school, the building was transferred to structures for additional children's sports education. The former house church was converted into an athletics gym. Currently, it houses the sports base of the pedagogical college, a young tourists' station, and a children's and youth sports school for martial arts.