In 1850, three-story barracks for the governor's battalion were built in Saratov, designed in the style of Nicholas Classicism. Although they do not hold architectural value, their uniqueness lies elsewhere.

On January 15, 1865, Major Alexander Vrubel became the commander of the battalion. He settled in the barracks with his wife, Elizabeth Christianovna, and their children. Their son, the future famous artist Mikhail Alexandrovich Vrubel, lived here from 1864 to 1867. In Saratov, Mikhail continued to draw. To deepen his study of painting, his father invited a teacher from the Saratov gymnasium, the renowned portraitist A. S. Godin. During this time, a copy of Michelangelo's fresco "The Last Judgment" was brought to Saratov, which impressed the boy so much that he was able to reproduce it from memory in detail, as his sister recalled.

In the spring of 1867, Colonel Vrubel left Saratov with his family, and Mikhail Vrubel spent two and a half years in this city. The governor's battalion continued to be stationed in the same barracks.

Since 1998, the barracks building has housed the Saratov Art School, founded by landscape painter and professor of the Imperial Academy of Arts A. P. Bogolyubov.

Memorial plaques have been installed on the building in honor of outstanding artists M. A. Vrubel and A. P. Bogolyubov.