[10][11] In 1980, the Institute was officially reorganized under mayor Jose Guillermo Tormos Vega as an entity of the Municipal Government.

[10] Ponce Municipal decree #40 (2012-2013) renamed the institution to Instituto de Música Juan Morel Campos.

The new building on the southwest corner of Cristina and Mayor streets is a former fire station, which was built in recto-linear fashion following modern architectural style.

[13] The building as originally built was not only a fire station but also the former location of the Ponce regional headquarters of the Bomberos de Puerto Rico.

A mosaic mural titled "La Abnegacion" (Selflessness) by Rafael Ríos Rey (now [2023] in ruins] commemorates the building's former use as a fire station.