Władysław Horodecki built the house at 10 Bankova Street as his own upmarket apartment building, financed with borrowed money. He bought the first land lot on February 1, 1901, and work began on March 18, 1901. The infobox gives completion in 1902, but by May 1903 only two apartments were occupied. The style is Art Nouveau, with curving forms and plant and animal motifs.
The Italian sculptor Emilio Sala made the interior and exterior sculptures, including animals, hunting trophies, mermaids, dolphins and frogs. The exterior sculptures are cement, the main building material at the request of the cement company's director. The name refers to the chimaera decorative style of applied animal figures, not mythological chimeras.
The building totals about 35,600 square feet (3,309.5 m²) and has three floors at the front and six at the rear because of the steep slope. Since May 2005 it has been an official presidential residence.
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