[1][2] In 1989, the mayor of Milan decided to evict the building's residents in accordance with the wishes of the owner and it was then partially demolished.

[1] A warehouse on via Salomone was occupied for some months and then a new zone (a former printers) was squatted on via Antoine Watteau, close to the first site.

[2] In the late 1990s, Matteo Salvini, who was at that time a city councillor, drank beer and attended events at the centre, defending it against attacks by the then Milan mayor Marco Formentini.

[1] Activities at the centre include musical concerts, theatre shows, debates, language courses, workshops, art exhibitions, and a radio station.

[1] When Naomi Klein visited Leoncavallo in 2001, she described it as "practically a self-contained city, with several restaurants, gardens, a bookstore, a cinema, an indoor skateboard ramp, and a club so large it was able to host Public Enemy when they came to town.