Municipal Market of Baucau

The building was constructed at the initiative of Lieutenant Armando Eduardo Pinto Correia [de], administrator of the Baucau district from 1928 to 1934. It was part of an extravagant plan by Pinto Correia to build public buildings, residences and offices, and a group of schools [de], in the main towns of the district.^[1]

Opened in October 1932, the new structure "... acquired an unexpected place in the community due to the lightness of its lines and the clever way it was placed between the hillside and the meadowlands." However, it also came under fire from government bodies for being allegedly too opulent and excessive in size.^[1]

During World War II, the building was partially destroyed. It was not rebuilt until after 1970.^[2][3]

In March 1997, the VIP guests attending the installation of the first Bishop of Baucau, Basílio do Nascimento, dined at the market, which is beside the cathedral.^[4] Following the East Timorese independence referendum in 1999, the Indonesian military destroyed the market building again.^[2][3]

In 2009, the government of East Timor announced that the building, which was by then in an advanced state of degradation, would be refurbished.^[3][5] The aim of the restoration project was to repurpose the building as a cultural centre.^[5] According to the announcement, a mobile structure for cultural shows, conferences and exhibitions would be created in the building's central area, while rooms at its periphery would house exhibitions and a small library.^[5]

However, a Hong Kong-based journalist later reported that the "derelict old marketplace" was still yet to be restored even in 2012: "... the charming, if not slightly spooky, ... building ... sits in the centre of the laid back old town begging for restoration, nature slowly reclaiming it."^[6] The renovation work, which also involved repainting the originally white structure in a combination of yellow and blue hues with pink roofs, was not completed until 2014.^[2]