Built opposite the Powder Tower (Prašná brána), the Municipal Building (Obecní dům), completed in 1912, was a challenging project: constructing an edifice intended for prestigious official and cultural gatherings, and the various related services, on an uneven-shaped trapezoidal site where the Royal Palace once stood. A jury eventually elected Antonín Balšánek and Osvald Polívka to carry out the project after much deliberation.