The building, constructed in 1867-1868 by contractor Murzin according to a project approved in 1863, was originally intended for the main guardhouse. In 1893, the guardhouse was abolished, and in 1901 the building was transferred to the Penza Scientific Archive Commission, which operated there until 1919.

The archive commission, established on September 9, 1901, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the restoration of the Penza province, played a significant role in studying the region. It published three collections of "Proceedings of the Penza Scientific Archive Commission" and founded a historical archive, a historical and archaeological museum, and a library.

The commission was headed by V. K. Khokryakov, a well-known figure in the field of public education. The building transferred to the commission was consecrated on December 10, 1902. On December 13, 1911, a jubilee meeting was held there to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the commission, chaired by the Penza governor A. P. von Lilienfeld-Toal. At the meeting, due to V. K. Khokryakov's resignation from the post due to health and age, he was elected lifetime chairman. The contribution of V. P. Popov, who was the secretary of the Penza provincial statistical committee and the permanent manager of the commission's affairs, was also noted. It was at a meeting of this committee on January 22, 1899, that the decision to create the commission was made.

On May 13, 1917, the Penza Committee of the RSDRP(b) was formed in the building, as commemorated by a memorial plaque installed in 1957.

From 1917 to 1928, the building served as the editorial office for Soviet party newspapers.

In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, it housed the military enlistment office of the Lenin district of Penza, and it currently accommodates the military commissariat department of the Penza region for the First May and Lenin districts.