The building was constructed in 1928 for the cooperative technical school, which grew out of the pre-revolutionary Tashkent Commercial School founded by Lieutenant Colonel V. N. Dunin-Barkovsky. In 1929–1931, the technical school was named after I. A. Zelensky, the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of the Uzbek SSR.

The structure belongs to the so-called Turkestan Modern style, which, according to B. A. Golender, incorporates both national elements (the portal) and bricklaying features characteristic of Russian construction.

The building is located in the ancient burial area around the mausoleum of the revered Sufi Sheikh Hovendi at-Tahur, built in the 14th century. Nearby are the mausoleums of the legendary Kaldyrgoch Biy, who lived in the 15th century, and Yunus Khan of Moghulistan, the ruler of Tashkent during the same period.

During the war, the building belonged to the “Mosfilm” studio evacuated to Tashkent; later, it was transferred to the Mechanical Faculty of the Polytechnic Institute. Entrance exams, tests, and coursework were held there, and a preparatory department operated. Occasionally, the nearby military department of the Polytechnic Institute used the auditoriums for classes.

Currently, the building houses the classrooms of the Islamic University.