Nizhne-Pokrovskaya Street is one of the oldest streets in Polotsk. Historical sources confirm its existence already in the second half of the 11th — beginning of the 12th century. From the 13th century the street was densely populated, served as one of the main streets in the city, it was crossed by the Dvina River to the city markets, churches, synagogues, Catholic and Orthodox monasteries were located on it, the richest and most influential citizens lived there.
The first known name of this street was Velikaya Street. In the last quarter of the 18th century (in connection with the construction of St. Pokrovskaya Church) it was renamed into Nizhne-Pokrovskaya Street, in 1919 — into Lenin Street, and in 2008 the street again returned the name Nizhne-Pokrovskaya. It received its current direction in accordance with the classicist plan of Polotsk developed and approved in the late 18th century, which gave the layout of the historical center of the city the features of regularity.
House No. 46 on Nizhne-Pokrovskaya Street is a bright representative of the city stone residential building of the early 20th century. The architecture of this monument belongs to the eclecticism style of the late 19th — early 20th century, which is characterized by the combination of a number of architectural styles of different eras.
Interestingly, in the middle and second half of the 19th century the land plot where the existing building is located was much wider and included almost the whole territory of the neighboring house (house No. 44). This plot of land was owned by the Polotsk burgher Aron Shif. The area was quite densely built up, and there were four wooden houses with outbuildings on it.
The two-storey brick building that exists today was built in the early 20th century as a dwelling. There are reports that for some time it housed the town pharmacy. During the Soviet era, the building housed residential apartments.
In the mid-1990s, the Belarusian Restoration and Design Institute developed a project for the restoration of the building and its adaptation for a museum exposition. On May 28, 2004 the Children's Museum of the National Polotsk Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve started its activity in the building. The territory of the museum is decorated with park sculptures by the Belarusian artist-sculptor P. Voynitsky — "The Watchmaker Boy" (2004), "The Girl with a Sun Clock" (2005).
According to the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus of 14.05.2007 № 578 House № 46 on Nizhne-Pokrovskaya Street is included in the State list of Historical and Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Belarus.