The article is devoted to the history of design, construction and reconstruction of the three most famous circuses in Russia - Saratov, Saint-Petersburg and Moscow. The emergence and evolution of the wooden and stone circuses as buildings of the late nineteenth century are analyzed. The constructive system of the domes, their features and differences sizes and materials are described in details. Drawings and photographs of the components coatings with a detailed description are presented. The story of the construction and reconstruction of these buildings since their emergence in cities till the present time is told. A detailed description of all stages of reconstruction and description of supporting structures covering of the three mentioned circuses are done. Comparative analysis of constructive solutions of these coatings is shown. The need to develop a modern regulatory documents that define requirements for the design of buildings circuses, as new effective building materials and technologies, as well as significant progress in the analysis of the spatial structures is noted.