In 1995, these stations began to be deactivated, and renovations and adaptations were announced, including a food court and a small auditorium for lectures, which never came to fruition, as well as the removal of heavy traffic in Patriarca Square, near the entrance to the gallery, with a total budget of five million dollars.

The so-called Masp-Centro was opened "on a shoestring", with a "small renovation" of three hundred thousand reais, because, according to Neves, then mayor Celso Pitta was determined to inaugurate it - his term would end less than two months later.

The concession ended in December 2008 when then mayor Gilberto Kassab signed the revocation of the original decree, although the repossession only happened at the beginning of November the following year.

The City Hall also claimed that the space was used improperly as a warehouse and that the gallery had been closed in previous years; Masp complained that the decree had been revoked "by surprise".

[17][18][15] In 2002, the upper entrance to the gallery, where there used to be a bus station, was covered by a marquee designed by architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha, causing controversy for supposedly affecting the visibility of the Church of Saint Anthony, in Patriarca Square.

Once approved, an executive project can be contracted for the restoration and renovation of the entire gallery, as well as the installation of an elevator on the sidewalk of the Viaduto do Chá, next to the newsstand and near Líbero Badaró Street.