Built in twenty-two months for the insurance company Garantia, the Coliseu opened on 19 December 1941 with the Orquestra Sinfónica Nacional under Pedro de Freitas Branco. Work had begun in 1937 to other men's drawings; Cassiano Branco took the project over in 1939 and, with Júlio de Brito, gave it its art deco form inside the walls already standing. The hall holds up to 4,000 people and carries opera, symphonic concerts and popular seasons alike. It was classified a Monument of Public Interest in November 2012.