[2] The spot for the palace, a large lot of land on the Vistula escarpment directly below the Nowy Świat, was bought by Prince Janusz Ostrogski in early 17th century.

However, as the unfinished manor lacked many features of an 18th-century magnate palace, it never served its original purpose and with time became neglected.

In late 19th century an additional story was added and in 1913 a new, much larger seat for the institute was built adjacent to the palace.

Destroyed by the Germans in the effect of the Warsaw Uprising of 1944, the building had been rebuilt by Mieczysław Kuzma between 1949 and 1954, while the ruins of the 1913 construction were demolished.

[4] The rich plafonds, stucco and Pompeian style frescoes are a fitting setting for the rooms of the Fryderyk Chopin Museum.