[1] In the 1640s, the Convent of Saint Francis was established on the site, forming one of the oldest ensembles of religious architecture in the city of São Paulo.

[3][4] In September 1639, the caravan of the seven friars who founded the convent set off from Rio de Janeiro, arriving on the plateau in São Paulo only in January of the following year.

The site turned out to be unsuitable for building the convent due to the lack of water and exposure to the winds hitting the Anhangabaú Valley.

From 1828 onwards, the convent's premises were occupied by the Law School of the University of São Paulo, equipped with a library containing around 300,000 titles (many authored by former students).

[3][6] The appearance of the area, which used to be baroque, underwent a transformation in 1930 when the Convent of Saint Francis was demolished and a neo-colonial style building was erected in its place four years later.