The Museum of Nature and Man is located in a prominent building in the island capital, the Old Civil Hospital of Our Lady of the Forsaken, which dates from 1745 and was remodeled in the late nineteenth century by the architect Manuel of Oraá and Arcocha. Its main facade is considered one of the most qualified examples of neoclassical architecture of the islands, which was declared of Cultural Interest with the Monument category in 1983.
In the surroundings of the Museum are some of the most emblematic buildings of the city and Santa Cruz de Tenerife: the Church of the Conception, the foundational core center of the city, first built in 1500; Calle de la Noria, one of the most traditional, lively and charming the old town and, finally, as an example of modern architecture in the Barranco de Santos walks, and right next to the Museum, the TEA ( Tenerife Espacio de las Artes), avant-garde building designed by the Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron.
The complete renovation of the historic building that houses the Museum of Nature and Man has been carried out in different phases. Thus, in 1993, a provisional adjustment was undertaken in order to earmark some units showrooms Museum of Natural History and Archaeology of Tenerife, so they were open to the public, while the projects were drafted, architectural and museum, Phase I. The implementation of the two projects began in 1994 and ended in 1997.
The adequacy of the Museum of Nature and Man continued the implementation of its Phase II, which included both civil works and museum, and culminated in April 1999. In Phase III, the intervention ended in the premises of the property for use as permanent exhibition rooms. The museum set, the result of these three phases, was inaugurated by Her Majesty Queen Sofia on 9 January 2002. Finally, in the fourth and final phase, spoke at the rear of the building, between Calle Bravo Murillo San Sebastian and lateral Serrador Bridge. Units and laboratories of Natural Sciences Museum of Tenerife, the Archaeological Museum of Tenerife and the Canary Institute of Bio-anthropology, temporary exhibition hall, auditorium, collections conservation laboratory, workshop: with her, complementary areas were undertaken Museum reproductions and general store.
After this long process, today, nearly three centuries later, has completed the metamorphosis that has transformed this former hospital into a modern museum, space for knowledge and transmission of important archaeological and
natural heritage of the Canary Islands.