• Original Building Design: José María Ortiz y Sánchez
• Built: 1861
• Restoration architects: Manuel Portolés Sanjuán, Francisco Javier García-Quijada Romero and Salvador Fraga Rivas
• Date: 2001
• Address: C/ Príncipe, 54

The design for this building was begun in 1861 by the architect José María Ortiz y Sánchez. After several years of alterations and addition, construction work was finally completed in 1880 as we can see on the marble plaque on the main façade. However, actually further changes continued to be made.

The building was used as a prison and Courthouse. The courts were located in the rectangular part which faces onto calle Príncipe and the rest of the building was used as a prison.

The shape of the building is roughly hexagonal and is made up of a rectangular section with a façade on calle Príncipe, a circular area in the middle from which three radial sections extend and finally several side sections. This type of prison was known as a Panopticon and was designed by the British philosopher Jeremy Bentham (died 1832). It was used for the first time when building prisons during the 19th century. The objective was to improve surveillance while also creating outer spaces for better ventilation and natural light and with more open spaces for prisoners.

Originally the building had two floors, but another was added on to the three sections of the back façade and the central area that joins them. The main façade is graceful and harmonious; the central section is more prominent than the rest and a plinth runs along it. This section is made of ashlar masonry and is more decorative than the rest of the façade. Interesting features are the continuous balcony on stone corbels with three doors and three semi-circular arches framed by Corinthian style pilasters. There is also a clock at the top. The back and side facades are weightier in appearance as they have fewer windows.

The building materials used were granite blocks and the stonemasonry was clad at the wall panels.

The building was listed as being of special historical or cultural interest in 1990.

Restoration work to convert the building into a museum for contemporary art began in 1999 and ended in 2001 and it is now owned by the Vigo City Council.

A team of architects from the city were responsible for the restoration. These were Manuel Portolés Sanjuán, Francisco Javier García-Quijada Romero and Salvador Fraga Rivas.

The original design of the old building was respected throughout. The most characteristic feature that sets it apart from other museums is how the exhibition rooms are arranged in the same way as the panopticon. There are three balconies and four halls that stem from a central point, surrounded by exhibition rooms. The entrance to the exhibition halls therefore moves from the façade to the centre.

An Annex building is located outside and the whole area around the museum is pedestrian, which makes for an ideal setting.