The Grand Theatre was built on the former location of the Marywil commercial and services complex. Marywil was destroyed in the 30’s and replaced by a theatre building in the neoclassical style designed by Antonio Corazzi. The building suffered heavy bombing in 1939, and 5 years later the rest of the building was destroyed by the Nazis in retaliation for the Warsaw Uprising.

Only the east side of the façade and the columnar front façade survived the war. The theatre was reopened in 1965, following 12 years of reconstruction; only the original façades facing the Theatre Square and Wierzbowa Street were preserved. One of the largest opera stages in the world with a total area of 1150m²and a height of 35m was built according to the design by Bohdan Pniewski.

The Grand Theatre was to be one of the most innovative scenes in Europe with a revolving stage platform, six trapdoors, eight lighting bridges above the stage, and three television circuits. The Haunted Manor by Moniuszko was staged at the inauguration of the theatre.