A sculpture by Toma Rosandić, "Igrali se konji vrani" ("Play by Black Horses"), was installed in front of the building in 1939. The building's interior was designed by architect Nikolai Krasnov in academic traditional style. Covering about , it has four storeys: a basement, ground floor, first floor, and attic, with mezzanines below the basement, between the basement and the ground floor and between the ground and first floors. The building has 100 offices, large and small halls, and four committee rooms. The library, on the first floor, contains over 60,000 books. The building is decorated with 23 frescoes and a number of paintings, sculptures, and other fine artwork. During the 5 October riots in 2000, 91 pieces of art were stolen from the National Assembly. Thirty-five have been found, but 56 remain missing. The building itself was also damaged. Construction began on 27 August 1907, when the building's cornerstone was laid in the presence of Peter I of Serbia, George, Crown Prince of Serbia, members of parliament and the diplomatic corps. Its charter, sealed in the cornerstone during the ceremony, bore the names of the king, the metropolitan, and chief architect Jovan Ilkić. Construction was overseen by Belgrade contractor Vasa Tešić. It was delayed until the end of World War I, with only the first floor completed. Construction was influenced by the formation of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, which required the project to be modified. After Ilkić's death in 1917 his son, Ministry of Construction architect Pavle Ilkić, led the project. His duties included making the required changes and completing the original design. Construction continued from 1920 to 1926, when it was again suspended. A decision about the next phase was made after the death of Alexander I of Yugoslavia in 1934, when the contractor became Ministry of Construction chief architect Nikolaj Krasnov (1864–1939). Krasnov's thirty years of experience in public-building design (giving him the titles of Architect of the Russian Imperial Court and "the academician of architecture") led to his invitation to work on important buildings in the Serbian capital, and he provided details of the interior. The National Assembly was dedicated on 18 October 1936 in the presence of Peter II of Yugoslavia, after 29 years of construction. The first governmental session was held two days later, and by the end of the year the building was fully completed. The building's central risalit is dominated by a portico with a triangular tympanum, above which is a dome with a lantern at the top.