The beautiful, historic brick building located at the intersection of Istiqbol and Shahrisabz Streets is well known to Tashkent residents. Thanks to its unique architectural design, it is easily recognizable and memorable.

At the beginning of the last century, it became clear that the girls’ gymnasium in the park could not accommodate all students, so a decision was made to build a second girls’ gymnasium. The building was constructed in 1912 based on a design by the famous Tashkent architect Georgy Mikhailovich Svarichevsky.

In 1918, the newly established Turkestan People’s University was located in the building, which later became the Central Asian State University. Part of the building was allocated to the Fundamental Library. From 1931, the Central Asian Institute of Economic Planning named after V.V. Kuybyshev operated in the building.

Initially, the building had two floors. In the 1930s, a third floor was added. According to witnesses, the bricks used for the third floor came from the demolition of the Church of Saint Sergius of Radonezh on Asaka Street.

During World War II, the Tashkent Aviation Technical School was established on the basis of the evacuated Voronezh and Kuybyshev aviation institutes, and this building was allocated to it.

After Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin’s flight into space, the technical school was named in his honor. For half a century, the aviation technical school provided qualified personnel for the Tashkent Aviation Production Association (TAPOiCh) and the No. 243 Aircraft Repair Plant. In 2002, according to Resolution No. 22 of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated January 16, 2002, “On the Establishment of the International Westminster University in Tashkent,” the building was handed over to Westminster University.

Although the building has been renovated and reconstructed several times, to the delight of the city’s residents it has preserved its original appearance and continues to please Tashkent residents with its elegant architectural style.