The Neo-Gothic building on the outskirts of Chernihiv was constructed in the late 19th century initially as a home for the orphaned of the local artisan class. However, a few years later, the building became home to a collection of Ukrainian antiquities, gifted to the Chernihiv local administration by the Ukrainian philanthropist Vasyl Tarnovsky. At the time, this establishment became the first and only museum of Ukrainian history within the Russian Empire. The collection included artifacts from prehistoric, grand ducal, and Cossack eras, including items and documents belonging to renowned hetmans. Additionally, the museum boasted an extensive collection of artistic and literary works by Taras Shevchenko.
In 1978, the purpose of the building shifted. Since then, it served as the Chernihiv Regional Youth Library.
On March 11, 2022, the centennial building, which had endured artillery shelling by Bolshevik forces in 1918 and 1919, as well as surviving World War II bombings by German Nazis, was demolished by Russian forces. Occupying the library courtyard, the aggressors dropped a 500-kilogram high-explosive bomb that destroyed the walls and internal structure of the building.
Work on 3D digitization was performed by Miguel Bandera.
