Today, skyscrapers can be seen in every major city, but once they were characteristic only of metropolises. The first high-rise building in the Russian Empire appeared in the early 20th century in Kyiv. Its construction was carried out by the firm of merchant and entrepreneur Lev Ginzburg.

The process of construction was complicated. At that time, the area in the Pechersk district of Kyiv was partially marshy, and the terrain of the site created additional difficulties. Architects had to design the building with varying heights: the left wing had eight floors, the right nine, and the central part twelve. The height of the building reached almost 70 meters. The construction of the skyscraper required 12 million bricks, and the total cost of the work amounted to 1.5 million rubles, which was a huge sum for those times.

The construction was carried out using the most modern technologies of that time. Ginzburg ordered elevators from the American company "Otis" and installed plumbing and electricity. Inside the building, there were about 500 apartments and flats, the most expensive of which were located on the upper floors.

The rent for luxurious apartments could reach 2,000 rubles a month. They were inhabited by representatives of high society: industrialists, bankers, artists, and wealthy gentlemen. They were served by maids, porters, doormen, drivers, cooks, and other staff. On the first floor, there were a restaurant and various shops, which made Lev Ginzburg's skyscraper one of the attractions of Kyiv.

With the arrival of Soviet power, the building was nationalized and converted into communal apartments. Ginzburg himself was left without means and died in poverty in one of Kyiv's hospitals.

The history of this building ended in 1941. During the retreat from the city, NKVD engineers blew up the skyscraper using a remote-controlled explosive device. After the war, the ruins were dismantled, and a hotel was built on that site, which is now known as "Ukraine."