On Preobrazhenskaya Street, opposite the Preobrazhensky Church, stands an ancient building with unique architecture that adorns Belgorod. This former men's gymnasium was built in 1879 specifically for the educational institution that opened in 1874 in the house of merchant Selivanov.

At the time of its construction, it was the most beautiful building, combining various architectural styles. The gymnasium was named after the Duke of Edinburgh. The building also housed the Evgenievskaya Church, opened at the request of Captain Mustyats' wife, who wanted to commemorate her prematurely deceased daughter Evgenia. The gymnasium's director supported her initiative and appealed to the city administration for permission to build the church. In 1885, a stone church in the name of Saint Evgenia was added to the gymnasium, which was closed shortly after 1917.

In the early 20th century, about 400 students were educated at the gymnasium. Among its graduates are outstanding individuals who made significant contributions to science, culture, and art. This is the pride of Belgorod: scholars Mikhail and Vladimir Kostenko, military leader Valentin Kangelari, aviator Nikolai Anoshchenko, medic Alexander Nikitin, and others.

In 1917, a meeting of the Bolsheviks was held in the building under the leadership of I.G. Ozemblovsky, where it was decided to create an independent Bolshevik organization. In 1921, Red Army soldiers of the machine gun team of the 76th regiment were stationed here.

During the Great Patriotic War, the building housed a military hospital. From 1954 to 1957, it belonged to the Belgorod Regional Committee of the CPSU, and then it was transferred to the Belgorod Pedagogical Institute. After the opening of a new building for the institute, a branch of the All-Union Correspondence Polytechnic Institute was located here, later transformed into the Belgorod Technological Institute of Building Materials, and then into a division of the All-Union Correspondence Financial and Economic Institute.

After a major renovation, the building was handed over to Belgorod State University, and on January 11, 2003, a grand opening of the renovated building took place, where the Social-Theological Faculty was located.