The building was purchased by the Municipality in 1887 from the Drago family of Genoa, with the aim of expanding it and adding new shops in the center, as well as providing a stable home for technical schools. Among the various projects presented, that of engineer Rodolfo Zoppellari was approved in 1888. In 1925, the ancient building was demolished to make way for the new Covered Market in Gothic-Venetian style, whose designer was undoubtedly influenced by the Doge's Palace in St. Mark's Square in Venice. The palace, since its origins, hosted various activities while offices and residences were located on the upper floor. During World War II, it also housed a clothing workshop, a shoe factory, and was used as a place for silkworm breeding.
Only in 1953, after appropriate modifications and restorations, did it become the seat of the public middle school, which remained in the building until the 1970s.
Between the late 1970s and the early 1980s, the Covered Market became the headquarters of the financial offices, while on the ground floor the Municipal Administration set up a Civic Hall dedicated to “B. Gidoni.”
