 In 1881, the Council of Elders of the Kiev Merchants Assembly acquired permission to establish a recreational area in the Tsarskaya ("Tsar’s") Square (now the "European Square") where a year later a brick building decorated with towers and metal eaves was erected by the famous Kiev architect Vladimir Nikolayev and named the "Merchants' House" ("Merchants' Assembly").The building rapidly gained recognition among Kiev residents and became the center for cultural gatherings where society held masquerade balls, science and political conferences, charitable lotteries, and literary evenings.Because of the building's good acoustics the Merchants' House became popular for musical performances.