In 1934, the marble milestone was installed in front of the São Paulo Cathedral on the Praça da Sé to symbolize the center of the city.

Originally proposed by journalist Américo Netto in 1921, the project to mark an official center of the city with a monument was not adopted until 1932 by mayor Antônio Carlos de Assumpção.

Netto wrote his ideas in the Estado de São Paulo newspaper and Boas Estradas magazine (where he was an editor) complaining of the confusion that this decentralized approach caused.

[2][4] In 2007 Marco Zero was registered as a protected monument by the Municipal Council for the Preservation of Historical, Cultural, and Environmental Patrimony of the City of São Paulo (Conpresp).

[5] Three similar stone monuments, marking the outer edges of the city, all dating to 1916, were registered by Conpresp in June 2013.