The House takes its name from its location in the area of Kastro, which is the oldest neighbourhood in Chora. It sits on a promontory facing north, towards the island of Tinos. Almost every Cycladic island has a Kastro, much in the same way that it has a Chora. Both terms are descriptive. Chora describes an island's main village, and the Kastro is its fortified segment, which historically formed the nucleus of the original settlement. The name derives from the Latin "castrum" denoting a fortified place of residence but in the Cycladic case, it never alluded to an actual castle. The fortifications to which the place name refers are hardly visible any more. The elegant building, which is typical of well-to-do Mykonian homes of the nineteenth century, belonged to the capitano Nikolas Malouchos. Its year of foundation is not known but observers from the sixteenth century onwards record a 'tall building' on this location.