The building, nestled between Štěpánská and Vodičkova streets, was constructed between 1907 and 1921, based on a design by Stanislav Bechyně.

[1] Originally intended to serve as a hockey stadium, it was reworked into a large social hall as the dimensions were soon found to be unsuited for its initial planned purpose.

The edifice bears significant features of the waning Art Nouveau style and the emerging Modernism.

In addition to its Great Hall, the complex also houses the Marble Hall, the Lucerna Music Bar, a movie theatre, a café, and a prominent pedestrian walkway, or "passage", connecting Štěpánská to Vodičkova street.

[2] From its inauguration until the present day, Lucerna has been an important cultural and social centre of the national capital, both in the former Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic, hosting concerts, balls, conferences, fashion shows, and sporting events.