Cultural role played by IAM Building

The IAM Building, built in the late 16th century, has a long history of more than 400 years. Back in the 16th, when it was called the Senado, the building was used for senatorial meetings of the Macao local authority. More recently it was the office of the municipal administration authority, and now is the headquarters of the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM). In the past, IAM had hosted an exhibition on the works of George Smirnoff. Its library houses a collection of editions of Portuguese newspaper “Vida Nova” which are about praises of George Smirnoff’s stage designs and contains the logos designed by him. It also has the first edition of the Catholic newspaper, O Clarim, and other valuable historical documents about George Smirnoff under its collection.

The building was initially a brick and stone structure with a walled Chinese-style courtyard. It was redeveloped into a two-storey building of baroque style in 1784. After many years of dilapidation and weathering, the building was reconstructed in 1876 in neoclassic style. Since then it has undergone numerous minor repairs due to typhoon and termite damage, and after a major renovation in 1940, the building structure and the appearance of its external walls have been properly maintained as it is today. Other than as offices of the Municipal Council, the building was at various times used for the operations of other public authorities, such as the Municipal Museum, the Post Office, the Department of Health, the Judicial Courts and a prison.

As one of the historic buildings of the "Historic Centre of Macao", the IAM Building was included on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2005.