The monumental Zacheta building near Marshal Street was constructed between 1899 and 1903, on behalf of the Society for the Promotion of Fine Art. Usually it's called Zacheta. The Neo-Renaissance design was by Stefan Szyller, the leading architect of Warsaw's Revival period.

His design included an imposing central staircase, a glass-roofed inner courtyard and plans for four wings. But these wings were only completed in 1995. The aim of Zacheta was to promote modern Polish art. This included organizing exhibitions, competitions and annual salons.

The society also purchased works of art for its own collection. In 1922, Zacheta was the scene of a major political assassination. At an exhibition of the independent Republic of Poland, a bullet killed Gabriel Narutowicz.

His assassin was a Polish painter and art critic, named Eligiusz Niewiadomski. More recently the Zacheta collection moved to the National Museum (Muzuem Narodowe). The building now serves as a venue for temporary exhibitions of modern and contemporary Polish art.