The Forum movie theater was one of the first nickelodeons — or “electrotheaters” — in Moscow: it was opened in November 1914.  At the top of the main facade, there is a bas-relief depicting ancient allegorical scenes with military themes. In Soviet times, the auditorium of the Forum movie theater, one of the most popular centers of cultural life in Moscow, could accommodate about 800 spectators.  Its last movie showing took place on September 24, 1994.  On October 17, 2002, a fire broke out and gutted the Forum, leaving the facade, which was declared an architectural monument.

A new building of the cultural center is now being built behind the historic facade. A multi-purpose hall and open terraces with cafés and restaurants are enclosed in a rectangular volume with a pitch roof.