 The site was occupied originally by the house of the Athenian magnate and politician, Alexandros Kontostavlos.After Athens became the capital of Greece in 1833, King Otto selected it as temporary residence, pending the construction of the Royal Palace (which houses Parliament currently).In 1835, a large dance and banquet hall was added to the house, and after the 1843 Revolution, which forced King Otto to grant a constitution, the National Assembly convened here.