One of the iconic places in Simbirsk-Ulyanovsk is the Memorial House of Ivan Alexandrovich Goncharov, located on Ventsa. The idea to immortalize the memory of the famous writer by creating a cultural institution in his homeland was proposed by the Simbirsk Provincial Scientific Archive Commission. The chairman of the commission, V. N. Polivanov, twice, in 1901 and 1909, requested permission to hold a nationwide subscription to raise funds for the construction of an institution where museums, a library, and a drawing and drafting school were planned to be located. This was related to the approach of the 20th anniversary of Goncharov's death and the 100th anniversary of his birth.

Emperor Nicholas II granted permission for the collection of donations on June 18, 1910, and soon more than 100,000 rubles were raised. In January 1910, the commission asked the city authorities to allocate a plot for construction. The city duma approved this only on January 26, 1912. The plot faced Novy Vents and Dvoryansky Lane. In September 1911, a competition was announced for the design of the facades and plans of the Goncharov House, with architects from different cities participating. However, all seven submitted projects were rejected. Nevertheless, on June 6, 1912, the day of Goncharov's centenary, the cornerstone was laid. On this day, a gazebo-memorial to Goncharov was also installed in Simbirsk, and the street was renamed in his honor.

After the unsuccessful first competition, a second one was announced, the program of which was compiled by F. O. Livchak and approved in St. Petersburg. Of the nine submitted projects, none were deemed satisfactory. In December 1912, the project for the building was entrusted to August Augustovich Shodé, which was approved in January 1913. Construction began in 1913 under the guidance of Shodé and his assistant V. G. Ivanov. By the end of 1914, construction was nearly complete, but funds ran out. The city administration allocated the remaining 5,000 rubles, and the patron N. Ya. Shatrov donated 11,000 rubles. In October 1915, the first floor of the building was occupied by a military hospital, which delayed the completion of the interior finishing. The Karamzin Library moved to the lower floor in November.

In June 1916, construction was halted due to a lack of funds, and Shodé's project remained unrealized in full. In October 1918, repairs to the building began under the direction of P. L. Martynov. After the work was completed, the People's Museum, uniting several museums of Simbirsk, was located in the building. Until 1920, part of the premises was occupied by the Simbirsk Proletarian University.

Today, the Memorial House houses the Ulyanovsk Regional Local History Museum named after I. A. Goncharov on the first floor and the Ulyanovsk Regional Art Museum on the second.