Espaço Atlântida will be housed in a municipal building known as the Palacete dos Marqueses de Pombal. With a neoclassical façade, it boasts an important ensemble of 18th century tiles and a series of fresco painting.
Built in the first years of the 19th century by the merchant and shipowner José António Pereira, the Palacete is part of a vast set of buildings, consisting of housing, dock and tercenas, which occupies the entire slope between Rua das Janelas Verdes and the current Avenida 24 de Julho.
In the mid-nineteenth century, the set was sold to merchant Joaquim José Fernandes. The daughter of the new owner will marry the 6th Marquis of Pombal and it is following this marriage that the palace and the warehouses become part of the heritage of Casa Pombal, which gave it its current name of Palacete dos Marquises de Pombal .
Throughout the 20th century, the palace had different functions; in 2020, the Palacete was transferred to EGEAC, to there install the library and centre for the study of the history of reading.
With a neoclassical façade, it boasts an important ensemble of 18 th -century tiles in its interior that feature court figures, allegories, and vegetal motifs, as well as a series of fresco painting, murals, and roof paintings depicting rural motifs and allegories from different continents, all of which is important to preserve.
The Palacete will open to the public after the architectural rehabilitation and functional adaptation of the space. Without making any significant changes, the aim is to create good circulation and hierarchization of spaces, restoring and enhancing the decorative elements and generally maintaining the structuring constructive elements.
A working plan has also been developed regarding the various areas considered fundamental to the realisation of activities in support of the CEHL’s objectives: reading and collection rooms, space for research and small group work, areas for events and conferences, and staff work areas. Adjoining the building is a south-facing garden, conceived as a public leisure area that is also to include a café open to all.