At that time, the Presidium of the National Assembly of the Federal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia was housed in the Old Palace, and then the Yugoslav federal government. Since 1961, this has been the home of the Belgrade City Assembly. Some parts of the palace have been completely destroyed (for example the Court Chapel) or have been altered. The double-headed eagle in flight at the top of the corner dome, in the communist period, was replaced by a five-pointed star, a symbol of the new state. At the beginning of 1997, the five-pointed star was removed, and in September of the same year, after the dome was repaired, a gilded sculpture of a double-headed eagle was placed, the work of sculptor Miroljub Stamenković, designed by architect Zoran Jakovljević.

Stari Dvor was built on a classic floor plan of almost square shape. According to its external architecture, it seems to be typical of Serbian academicism of the 19th century. The facade overlooking the garden is richly decorated, with balcony terraces. Among the decorative motifs, we can single out the Doric or Corinthian pillars that decorate the facades. Balconies and roofs are decorated with fences. The palace is organized around a large entrance hall with large bay windows, pillars and galleries. Earlier, this entrance was decorated with a large central oak staircase, designed by architect Jovan Ilkić, but it was destroyed during the First World War. Other reception rooms (dance hall, dining room, etc.) are organized around this central space. The palace also had a library of 10,000 books, a winter garden and a neo-Byzantine-style chapel. The interior decoration of the Old Palace was taken care of by a commission which, in addition to the architect Bugarski, consisted of the professor of the Great School Mihailo Valtrović and the painter Domenico d’Andrea.