The building of famous historic and architectural monument of Irkutsk, the White House, was erected in the first quarter of the XIX century for the Sibiryakovs, the family of Irkutsk merchants, according to the project of the famous architect Giacomo Quarenghi. Later the building was sold to the local authorities and the White House served as the residence of Irkutsk governor-generals from 1837 to 1917. In 1918 the first institution of higher education, the Irkutsk State University, was opened in the White House. At present a research library of the Irkutsk State University that numbers about 2.5 million books including very rare editions and manuscripts of the XV-XVIII centuries is located in this building.