What presently houses the Head Office of Heritage Malta is a historical building in itself, and has a long and varied history.

Its origins go back to 1533, when the Spanish Bishop of Malta Domenico Cubelles tried to open a Jesuit college in Malta. But the attempt did not materialise despite the favourable attitude of St Ignatius of Loyola. In 1592 the Jesuits were authorised to set up a school in Malta, and the bishop of Malta Tommaso Gargallo provided a site for the building of a school for the teaching of philosophy, theology, grammar and literature. The foundation stone was laid in 1595 and the building was completed in 1602 according to the plans of the Jesuit architect Giuseppe Valeriano. Approximately half of the site was taken up by the Jesuit church. The school became known as the Collegium Melitense, and it immediately became the leading teaching establishment in Malta.

In 1647 the building was remodelled with distinct baroque features by Francesco Buonamici following damages caused by an explosion of a gunpowder magazine in 1634. Another unfortunate incident took place in 1639. The Jesuits were accused of being the cause behind Grand Master Lascaris’ curtailment of carnival revelries and a group of knights attacked the college and destroyed everything in sight. Once again in 1693 the building suffered considerable damage following an earthquake. The Maltese architect Vincenzo Casanova supervised the necessary repairs.

1768 proved to be a turning point in the history of the building. The Jesuits were expelled from Malta by Grand Master Pinto, who transformed the college into a Public University of General Studies, instituted on 22 November 1769. Thirty years after, in 1798, Napoleon closed it down in order to be substituted by a Central School. One of the lecturers was Fr Michael Xerri, who had to teach philosophy, but teaching ground to a halt because of the Maltese insurrection. Activities resumed in 1800 when Canon F. S. Caruana was appointed rector of the re-instated University.

Another important event took place in 1833. Governor Sir Frederick Ponsonby, worried by the ‘discreditable’ standard of education in Malta, requisitioned the ground floor of the building from the University in order to host what was to become Malta’s leading secondary school – the Lyceum. In 1878, however, the Royal Commission noted that in the Lyceum there was unparalleled chaos. Finally in 1913, by means of the Education Ordinance, the Lyceum was separated from the University and placed under a different authority responsible for secondary schools.

In 1919, during the Sette Giugno protests against the British, an unruly mob rushed to the building and wrecked whatever they could lay their hands on. During the Second World War, the building was vacated and used as the Air Raid Precautions Centre. The Lyceum was damaged but was not destroyed. By then it had become increasingly apparent that it had become inadequate and a new Lyceum was built in Hamrun in the 1950s. In 1968 even the University moved to Msida. From 1983 to 2001 the lower floor was used as an Arts and Design Centre.

In September 2003 the lower floor was officially inaugurated as the Head Office of Heritage Malta.