The Ipiranga Museum was built between 1885 and 1890 as a monument-building — in honor of the Independence of Brazil — following the appointment of the architect Tommaso Gaudenzio Bezzi, who conceived an Eclectic-style architectural project based on the features of Renaissance palaces, with rich ornamentation and decoration. The museum was inaugurated in 1895.
The building is part of the architectural ensemble of the Independence Park and, since 1963, has been part of the University of São Paulo (USP). The museum has undergone several modernization and restoration works over time, the most recent of which was designed by the architectural firm Hereñú + Ferroni Arquitetos.