The Shumov Brothers' Palace is one of the most remarkable buildings of Chita. The mansion in an eclectic style with elements of baroque and late classicism was built at the request of local gold miners, brothers Konstantin and Alexey Shumov. The project of the mansion was awarded the Grand Prix of the "World Exhibition" in Paris in 1912.
The construction of the Shumov Brothers' Palace began in 1912. It was erected on the site of the children's "Okhotskiy shelter." But before the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 only the first stage of the building was completed. Later it was planned to expand it, but it was not possible. Shumov brothers themselves did not have a chance to live in the palace, since it was adapted to the military needs. During the First World War more than 150 Austrian prisoners of war were kept in the basement of the palace. After the revolution of 1917 the local Council of People's Deputies used to hold meetings in the mansion, and later it was used for concerts. When the Soviet power was established in Trans-Baikal, the building was nationalized. The mansion was occupied by the headquarters of the Transbaikal Military District, and after 1937 it housed the Territorial Administration of the NKVD. Now the premises of the mansion are managed by the FSB of the Russian Federation in the Trans-Baikal Territory.