The tenement house at 1 Mariacka Street was built in 1895 and from the beginning its ground floor housed an elegant patisserie, called the Kaiser Café before the First World War. After 1922, the premises were renamed Astoria and operated under that name until the 1970s. It was here that the Katowice bohemia met between the wars. In addition to culinary delights, guests could also enjoy live music. Unfortunately, in the following decades of the communist era, Astoria began to lose its former glory and its interior was also completely rebuilt.

Little is known about the history of the neon sign advertising Astoria. Only one photograph documenting its appearance has survived. Placed on the roof of the building, the sizable inscription was visible not only to passers-by, but also to travellers leaving Katowice station in an easterly direction. The neon was characterised by its artfully designed typeface, placing it among the best projects in the whole of Katowice.