It was designed by the Chilean architect Emile Jéquier in a full-blown Beaux-arts style and is situated in the Parque Forestal of Santiago.

In 1887 the government acquired a building known as "the Parthenon", which had been constructed by the Artistic Union for the purpose of hosting annual art expositions.

In 1901 the government decided to create an original building for the Museum and School of Fine Arts, and Emilio Jéquier was selected.

The building was built in the Parque Forestal, a landscaping work by Jorge Enrique Dubois, who had been trained in the gardening school of Versailles in France.

The central entrance is through a gigantically enlarged version of Borromini's false-perspective window reveals from Palazzo Barberini, which encloses a pedimented doorway entirely surrounded by glass, a Beaux-Arts touch.