According to the municipality, the permit covers “demolition, expansion, and modifications to convert the existing structure into a hotel.”
The building was sold in 2018 by Global Media to Authentic Empathy. Since 2020, it has belonged solely to one of the companies that formed it, Magnetic Pocket, managed by Macau entrepreneurs Lei Ka Kei and David Siu, who also run Burgosublime; the parent company is the Portuguese branch of KNJ, led by recently elected legislator Kevin Ho.
The transformation process has been underway for a decade, dating back to 2015 when a Preliminary Information Request (PIP) was submitted to the municipality’s urban planning services to convert the space into a hotel with over 200 rooms.
This request received a favorable decision in March 2016 and has been “successively renewed.” The architectural project for the future “Hotel Jornal” was entrusted to Oporto Office for Design and Architecture (OODA).
According to the architecture studio’s website, the tile panel on the tower’s façade, created by sculptor Charters de Almeida, will be preserved, while a part of the building adjacent to Trindade Station will be demolished.
Journalists vacated the space in July 2023. Staff from JN and the sports newspaper O Jogo moved to a building on Rua do Monte dos Burgos in Prelada, while TSF staff relocated to a space in Boavista. The tower, designed by architect Márcio Freitas, served as the third newsroom for the newspaper, which moved to this location in 1970.
Platform with Lusa
