In February 1923, entrepreneur Armand Blaton began construction of the Centre for Fine Arts. It was built by using reinforced concrete in successive stages. There were setbacks, however, due to a range of technical problems: sandy and water-logged soil, large amounts of soil to clear out, sewer system pipes in operation (originally thought to be closed down), and neighbouring infrastructure at risk of caving in; not to mention strikes and the project’s dire finances. The balance between monumentality and sobriety, which makes the building so unique, is the result of these logistic and financial constraints.
The Centre for Fine Arts was partially inaugurated on 4 May 1928 – the exhibition rooms and chamber music hall were the only ones initially open to the public. The large concert hall was inaugurated on 19 October 1929.