A building in two parts, the original National Theatre was built between 1967 and 1970, to the design of three Romanian architects, Horia Maicu, Romeo Belea and Nicolae Cucu. Originally styled to honour the architecture of Moldova's famous monasteries, it was unfortunately ruined in 1984-5 when the concrete casing that now stands gloomily in the shadow of the InterContinental was placed over the earlier structure.

However, the rebuilding work currently being carried out on the building (which is covered in scaffolding) is intended to return the National Theatre to its original design by the end of this year.

The odd statue in front of the theatre is called the Caruta cu paiate, a tribute to Romania's best loved playwright, Ion Luca Caragiale. It features characters from Caragiale's plays, and was unveiled in December 2010.