Based on a design by Luís da Cunha Meneses, the building, constructed between 1785 and 1855 and originally housing the Casa de Câmara e Cadeia (Town Hall and Jail) of Vila Rica, is an example of Brazilian colonial architecture. Today, the complex, comprising the main building (the former Casa de Câmara e Cadeia of Ouro Preto), Annexes I and II, and the Casa do Pilar, houses the Inconfidência Museum, established in 1938 and inaugurated in 1944.