In 1793, the site was purchased with the help of the Second Count of Revillagigedo, Juan Vicente Güemes Pacheco y Padilla. The architect Manuel Tolsá designed and directed this work between 1797 and 1813. Due to the subsidence of the ground, Antonio Villard rebuilt the building in 1830 without altering its form. It served as the headquarters for the Ministry of Public Instruction and Worship, the Academy of Sciences and Literature, the Ministry of Justice, and the Contributions Office. From 1867 to 1954, it housed the Special School of Engineers.