Franconi made a petition for obtaining a free plot of land in Floriana on 24 January 1739, on which he initially built a small house with a garden.
[2] In 1835, the Commissioners of Charity made a proposal to establish a new mental asylum to replace the Ospizio, which had been deemed unsuitable for the care of mentally-ill patients.
Villa Franconi was chosen as the site of the asylum, and structural alterations were made to the building including the addition of a padded cell.
Patients with more severe cases of mental illness initially remained at the Ospizio but were also transferred in 1838, and during the same year the property was enlarged when an adjacent house was incorporated into it.
[1] Villa Franconi was located within a residential urban area, and neighbours reportedly teased and taunted the patients who were confined inside.