Casa da Junta
Historical good listed by the Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage of the State of Rio Grande do Sul in the city of Porto Alegre
The Casa da Junta ("House of the Council"), also known as the Old Legislative Assembly, is a historic building in the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre, the capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, located at 1029 Duque de Caxias Street, at the historic center. It is likely the only building in Porto Alegre dating back to the 18th century.
It currently houses the Memorial to the Legislative of Rio Grande do Sul, under the administration of the Legislative Assembly.
History
It was built in 1790, being the oldest remnant from the time of the city's foundation. It was designed by Captain José Montanha, during the administration of José Marcelino de Figueiredo, and was conceived as a set with the old government palace, on the left, which was demolished to make way for the current Piratini Palace.
The Provedoria da Real Fazenda ("Ombudsman of the Royal Treasury") or the Junta de Administração e Arrecadação da Fazenda ("Board of Administration and Collection of the Treasury") was installed there, functioning as the Casa da Junta ("House of the Council"), Chamber, and Jail. In 1828, it became home to the Province's General Council, and from 1835 the Legislative Assembly kept its headquarters there. However, in the same year, the Ragamuffin War started, when the Legislative went into recess, being reactivated in 1845. Initially built with only one floor, it was remodeled and expanded in 1860, when its old colonial aspect was changed with neoclassical elements. It closed again between 1865 and 1870, during the Paraguayan War.
“Casa da Junta” enters the record as historical good listed by the Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage of the State of Rio Grande do Sul in the city of Porto Alegre. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Casa, Junta and Historical can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Casa da Junta” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Casa, Junta and Historical provides the most credible route into that argument.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 8, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q9698197. Authority coordinates are -30.034, -51.231. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1029, 1790, 1828 and 1835.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
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This entry incorporates text from “Casa da Junta” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.