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The building that houses the Casa da Cultura is considered the oldest in the city of Betim. According to an assessment by IEPHA and other sources, its construction took place in the 18th century, which means that it was built by the first residents of the city.



Located near the old church of Nossa Senhora do Carmo, already demolished, it is assumed that its construction took place in the same period as the church. According to the historian Geraldo Fonseca (1975, p. 60), the request for the construction of a chapel for the devotion of Nossa Senhora do Monte do Carmo came from the residents of the Bandeirinhas region in 1753, being answered in 1754, when, thanks to construction of the church, arraial of Capela Nova de Betim appeared. The house was built in the second half of the 18th century, in pau-a-pique (wood and cow dung), and bears the marks of the buildings of the time of the pioneers.



The house was used at first as an inn for tropeiros who came from Goiás and São Paulo towards Sabará and other mining centers. According to geographer Terezinha Assis (1997, p. 11), the strategic position of the then camp, located between the mining region of Rio das Velhas and the Pitangui mines, meant that a troops exchange post was installed on the site, in addition to favor agricultural development as a source of supply for mining areas. In approximately 1766, Capela Nova was the headquarters of one of the Companies of the First Regiment of the Auxiliary Cavalry of Sabará. Years later, after 1781, the Infantry Regiment of the Capela Nova do Betim was created, extinguished in 1788, by decree of Queen Maria I.

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