NAAM considers itself fortunate with its accommodation in the monumental building at Johan van Walbeeckplein 13. The building, which formerly housed the public library, was originally meant to accommodate a museum. The eastern, low-rise part of the building has been in the hands of NAAM since 1988 and in 1999 NAAM was also allocated the high rise part. As there were no funds available for the restoration of the building, the foundation handed it over to the Pension Fund APNA in November 2005 for restoration and it was agreed that NAAM would lease it during twenty years at a reduced rental rate.

Protected monument

The building was constructed in the years of the Second World War. During the war-period it served as a food warehouse. It was not until the end of the war period, that it got the allocation for which it had originally been designed. The Public Library remained in the Van Walbeeckplein until the end of 1988. Having been recognized as an example of modern architecture, adapted to the tropics, Johan van Walbeeckplein 13 has been on the list of protected monuments of Curacao since November 1999.

Grand opening

On March 14, 2008, a ship’s bell resounded in the patio of Johan van Walbeeckplein 13, and thus Governor Frits Goedgedrag inaugurated the restored building of the NAAM Foundation (National Archaeological Anthropological Memory Management) and simultaneously also the exhibition Free ports of the Caribbean Curaçao and Statia.

More than 150 guests were present at the inauguration, among which representatives of all the Governments, like Minister of Education and Culture Omayra Leeflang and acting Governor of Statia Louis Brown, and of Statia, St. Maarten and Bonaire. The program started with two trumpets sounding from the balcony. Subsequently, a musical group consisting of a contrabass, violin, viola, flute, trumpet, guitar, guiro and drums played an arrangement of arranger Dennis Aalse, inspired by music that came from Africa and Europe more than two centuries ago.