The building was constructed between 1786 and 1788 for the residence of the vice-governor, according to the first regular city plan, and formed the eastern part of the main administrative square of the kremlin. It was initially planned that this side would be built with a unified facade, similar to the Presence Places, where the vice-governor's house was to constitute the southern half, and the neighboring governor's house, the northern half. An arch was supposed to connect these buildings, through which access to the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral was envisioned. However, only the vice-governor's house was realized, while the arch remained unfinished.

The design of the house is attributed to the first Nizhny Novgorod provincial architect Y.A. Ananyin, although no drawings with his signature have been found to date. The building had a narrow U-shape with a slight expansion in the center from the courtyard side. A single-story utility building adjoined the main structure, creating an enclosed courtyard space, with access through an arch on the northern side. This is visible on the 1798 plan of the kremlin. After the fire in 1809 in the Presence Places, they were relocated to this building and remained there until 1917. Only during the winter months of 1812-1813, during the Patriotic War of 1812, officials from three Moscow departments of the Governing Senate were housed in the building. In the first half of the 19th century, the house underwent several repairs but mostly retained its original appearance. Between 1825 and 1827, Nizhny Novgorod provincial architect I.E. Yefimov expanded the building, adding several rooms to the southern and courtyard facades and organizing an additional third floor at the expense of the height of the second. He preserved the architectural decor and the overall two-story appearance of the main facade facing the square. On the 1853 plan of the kremlin, the house has a clear U-shape with an enclosed courtyard.

Since 1917, the building has been used for administrative purposes. In 1996, it housed the Arbitration Court of the Nizhny Novgorod Region.