The history of the main building of NAAU

Today the Presidium of the National Academy of Arts of Ukraine is located in an exquisite two-storey brick building in the heart of Kyiv city, at 20 Bulvarno-Kudriavska Street.

The eclectic building with upgraded Romanesque-Gothic details was built in 1898 at the expense of the prominent Kyiv philanthropist and sugar manufacturer Lev Izrayiliovych Brodsky and during the 20th century served as a children's hospital.

The decision to build a hospital was caused by a drastic increase in infant mortality at the turn of the century: members of the Society for Assistance to Sick Children, which Brodsky was a member of, turned to the architect Mykhaylo Hryhorovych Artynov to develop a construction project.

The hospital was built in one year and opened its doors to the first patients on October 18, 1898. The building was known for the functionality of its planning logic. Visitors entered the waiting room for 300 people through a large lobby.
Other rooms were grouped around the hall: doctors' offices, infectious and surgical departments, a pharmacy, a laboratory, a library, an archive, apartments for medical staff, utility rooms, two exits to the back porch.

In total, Lev Brodsky spent 60 thousand rubles to create and equip the hospital. The architect Mykhaylo Artynov also revealed himself as a philanthropist: he refused to accept a retainer for the project.

In 1996, the building was classified as a crumbling and had to be demolished. However, after successful restoration, it housed the presidium of the National Academy of Arts, and spacious rooms turned into exhibition halls and offices of academics and leading cultural workers.
By the order of the Kyiv City State Administration No. 42 dated January 17, 2000, the building was recognized as an architectural monument.