22°11′24″N113°32′17″E / 22.189931°N 113.538025°E /22.189931; 113.538025
| Macau Government Headquarters | |
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澳門特別行政區政府總部 Sede do Governo da Região Administrativa Especial de Macau da República Popular da China | |
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| General information | |
| Location | São Lourenço,Macau,China |
| Completed | 1849 |
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| Politics andgovernment ofMacau |
Legislature |
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| Macau Government Headquarters | |||||||||||
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| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 澳門特別行政區政府總部 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 澳门特别行政区政府总部 | ||||||||||
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| Portuguese name | |||||||||||
| Portuguese | Sede do Governo da Região Administrativa Especial de Macau da República Popular da China | ||||||||||
TheMacau Government Headquarters (Chinese:澳門特別行政區政府總部;Portuguese:Sede do Governo da Região Administrativa Especial de Macau da República Popular da China), formerlyGovernor's Palace (Portuguese:Palácio do Governador) is the official office of theChief Executive of Macau and has been since 1999. It is located inSão Lourenço.
Built in 1849 by Tomás de Aquino, architect, for Alexandrino Antonio de Melo, 1st Baron do Cercal, the two story pink facade structure is one of the historic properties preserving Portuguese influence inMacau and located onAvenida da Praia Grande, in theSt. Lawrence Parish. The building usedPombaline style imported fromPortugal and popular in the 18th to mid 19th Century. The office is the former residence of theGovernor of Macau (relocated to another residence further west atMacau Government House) and the offices of the governor prior to thehandover in 1999.
The building is surrounded by shops, residences and other office buildings. It is bounded by the roads Travessa Do Paiva, Avenida Dr Stanley Ho and Travessa do Padre Narciso. The northside is closed off by buildings.
The main entrance faces Avenida Dr Stanley Ho and looks out toNam Van Lake with theSuperior Court of Macau Building andMacau Legislative Assembly Building in the distance.
The Government Headquarters has three wings and has undergone several reincarnations. Most of the interior is updated with modern features, but some original features have remained. The headquarters houses the Lotus Room (conference room of the Executive Council), a multi-purpose conference room and a pressroom. While the edifice and interior architecture is distinctly European, the building contains many Chinese wooden furniture and attractive ceramics.
A large garden with various plants, fountains and trees are found in the rear of the structure. The garden design is a mix ofEuropean andChinese styles.
Two days a year it is open to visitors to discover the interior and exterior of the government office.
