This building, located next to the regional local history museum, attracts attention with its beauty. A museum of the history of Chelyabinsk is planned to be opened here. It is one of the oldest stone structures in the city, built in the 1850s, and originally belonged to the merchant family Shikhovs. Later, the house passed to the state councilor and city head Pokrovsky, who rented it out. At different times, it housed a public school, police department, telegraph, and telephone station. During the Soviet period, the building housed communication management services. Unfortunately, the interior of the house has not survived, but during renovations, a beam from the Demidov era was discovered, which is a valuable exhibit.