The Governor’s Palace in Kharkiv was built between 1773 and 1777 to a design by an unknown architect (possibly Mikhail Tikhmenev; the plans were sent from St. Petersburg). It is a national architectural landmark, located at Universytets’ka Street, 16.

The complex was completed by the architect P. Yaroslavsky, who designed the boundary wall and service buildings in the courtyard. It is one of the few surviving examples of the Neoclassical style with elements of Elizabethan Baroque in Kharkiv.

The palace was used by Empress Catherine II in 1787 during her trip to Crimea—in fact, it was originally built as a palace where emperors could rest during long journeys. Later, it was handed over to the governor of Kharkiv to serve as his residence.

However, the building did not retain this status for long, and in 1805 it was transferred to the new Kharkiv University. During the complex’s reconstruction to meet the university’s needs, the existing stone wings on both sides of the palace were extended upwards by one story (designed by architect E. Vasilyev).

On the walls of the main building, as well as on the surrounding buildings of the university complex, one can find many commemorative plaques dedicated to outstanding scientists, writers, and public figures from various countries who studied at the university.

Following the relocation of Kharkiv University to the former House of Projects in the 1960s, the complex of the university’s old buildings was transferred to the Ukrainian Correspondence Polytechnic Institute (UCPI), which rebuilt and expanded the physics wing. In 1994, the institution was renamed the Ukrainian Engineering and Pedagogical Academy (UEPA).

The main building and gates were restored under the supervision of V. Novgorodov by staff of the Kharkiv Comprehensive Architectural and Restoration Workshop, including V. Lopatk, V. Prilutsky, G. Cherkashina, and others. V. Novgorodov emphasized that, for the first time in his career, authentic metal roof structures had been discovered in the building; these had been used instead of the traditional wooden roofs of 18th–19th-century houses. Furthermore, there had previously been parapets on the roof cornice, which had been lost and were not restored.

In 2018, the physics wing burned down as a result of a fire during renovation work in the attic (according to the official version).

The university’s other buildings were also damaged by nearby Russian missile strikes in 2022 and lost some of their glazing.

In 2024, the UIPA was merged with V. Karazin Kharkiv National University—the buildings once again came under the wing of Kharkiv University, which they had served for over 150 years.