When the arsenals of the Navy were dismantled with the beginning of the Brazilian Republic, the tower was transferred to the heritage of Recife port and then abandoned and endangered.

The city population, in association with cultural institutions leadership, mobilized against the demolition, using as an example the real strength of Malakoff on the Crimean war.

[1] The tower was renovated in 1999, keeping the old features of the Tunisian-style monument.

Today, it is a cultural area and astronomical observatory: The Malakoff Tower is contributing property to the Architectural and Landscape Ensemble of Old Recife (Conjunto Arquitetônico, Urbanístico e Paisagístico do Antigo Bairro do Recife), listed by the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage in 1998.

It was individually listed as a state heritage site of Pernambuco.