The Municipal Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre, known as the Kyiv Opera, is located in a building on Khreshchatyk that was constructed in 1931–1933 to the design of architect Mykola Shekhonin in the Constructivist style. Originally, the building was intended for workers of the food industry and was named the “Kharchovyk” Club. For a period of time, it functioned as the “Slavutych” Palace of Culture.
Architecturally, the building is a valuable monument of Soviet Constructivism — one of the few public structures of this style that has been preserved in Kyiv. Its restrained geometric forms and functional layout reflect the characteristic features of Constructivism, combined with the need to accommodate public space for large cultural events.
In 1998, the building underwent reconstruction: an orchestra pit was added, renovations were carried out, and the interior was adapted for opera and ballet performances. The first production on its own stage was the children’s musical play “Trap for the Witch,” which opened the first season of the Municipal Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre. Since then, the Kyiv Opera has become an important cultural institution of the capital and a significant center of musical art.