The Mitrofanovsky Market appeared in the current Kirov Square in 1850, occupying almost its entire undeveloped area. Before that, timber and hay were traded here, which is why the square was called Forest and Hay Square. Later, trade was moved to the Volga and the Mamin Church (the area of the Yablochkov College).

The market specialized in the sale of firewood and food products, which is why the square was also called Firewood Square. However, it was more often referred to as Mitrofaneyevskaya, in honor of the chapel of the Ascension-Sennovskaya Church, consecrated in honor of St. Mitrophan, the Bishop of Voronezh.

At the market, meat, poultry, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, berries, and bread were sold. The square was surrounded by houses with shops, taverns, and warehouses on the ground floors. On weekends, entertainment, performances by artists, puppet shows, and animal exhibitions were organized here. Later, the circus of the Nikitin brothers settled here.

In 1872, attempts to build stone buildings at the market were unsuccessful due to high costs, and wooden stalls remained for a long time. In 1913, the newspaper 'Saratov Leaf' wrote that the market had turned into a swamp, where it was impossible to walk or drive. Sellers and buyers sank in the mud, and peasants had nowhere to stand with their carts. The newspaper called for paving this area.

There were frequent complaints about unsanitary conditions and unpleasant odors, especially in the meat section, where livestock was slaughtered and waste was left. Sanitary inspections revealed the sale of low-quality products, colored with harmful substances.

In December 1910, the City Duma approved the idea of engineer Vasily Lyukshin to build a Covered Market based on European models. Lyukshin, who came from Tomsk, was a graduate of the St. Petersburg Institute of Civil Engineers and had been working in Saratov since 1904.

On November 8, 1911, Lyukshin and the head of the market commission, Ya.T. Vorobyov, traveled to major cities in Russia to study covered markets. Upon their return, they presented a report with illustrations, proposing to build a market with shops and a cooling system, taking the Warsaw and Kyiv markets as examples.

The building in the Art Nouveau style became a decoration of early 20th century Saratov and is recognized as one of the best in Russia, becoming an architectural masterpiece. It is a cultural heritage site of federal significance and still attracts many people, many of whom do not notice its beauty.