Camara Municipal de Salvador (Salvador City Council), Salvador

Salvador’s City Council story kicks off in 1549, the very year the city was founded. What began as a humble mud-and-thatch hut grew into a lasting landmark. Today’s structure, completed in 1696, is Brazil’s first City Council building—a real veteran of history, a testament to the city’s resilience and architectural evolution.

By the late 1800s, local architect Francisco Caminhoá gave it a Neoclassical glow-up, complete with a clock tower. But the 1970s restoration team had other plans, peeling back Caminhoá’s updates to return the building to its 17th-century roots.

These walls have seen it all—political drama, cannon fire, and more. In one particularly explosive chapter, the forts of Saint Marcelo, Saint Peter, and Barbalho decided Municipal Square was the target. While aiming for Rio Branco Palace, they took out the City Council tower and clock along the way. But this building was built to last—brushing off cannonballs and bouncing back stronger each time.

The building also wore multiple hats. Before Salvador’s government moved to Rio Branco Palace, it pulled double duty as City Hall and legislative chamber. In fact, Salvador’s Municipal Square was Brazil’s original “Three Powers Plaza,” hosting the legislative, executive, and judicial branches centuries before the current capital, Brasília.

And in 2025? Things got a bit heated—literally. On the afternoon of February 24, a fire sparked in the Noble Hall’s air conditioning system, spreading to parts of the building. But knowing the City Council’s history, you can bet it’ll take more than a fire to knock it down.