Casa del Commun Tesoro

Casa del Commun Tesoro
Main entrance to the Casa del Commun Tesoro
Former names	Grand Hotel
Alternative names	Casino Maltese
General information
Status	Intact
Location	Valletta, Malta
Coordinates	35°53′55.3″N 14°30′47″E / 35.898694°N 14.51306°E / 35.898694; 14.51306
Current tenants	Casino Maltese
Completed	c. 16th–17th centuries
Renovated	1914
Technical details
Material	Limestone
Floor count	2
Renovating team
Architect	Nicola Buhagiar and Francesco Sammut

The Casa del Commun Tesoro (Italian for House of the National Treasury) is a building in Valletta, Malta, located in Republic Square facing the Bibliotheca. It was originally built to house the Treasury of the Order of St. John. Part of the building housed Malta's first post office, and over the years it was also used as government offices, a hotel and a cinema. Since the early 20th century, it has been the premises of a gentlemen's club known as the Casino Maltese.

The Casa del Commun Tesoro originally belonged to the Treasury of the Order of St. John, and it housed the Treasury's accounts, contracts and records. Gold and silver bullion were stored at the Conservatoria, located opposite the Casa del Commun Tesoro. This building was demolished in the 1780s to make way for the Bibliotheca. The Treasury was headed by a Grand Commander, who was assisted by two Procurators of the Treasury, a Procurator of the Grand Master, a Conventual Conservator and a Secretary. The latter resided in an apartment within the Casa del Commun Tesoro.

In 1708, Malta's first proper postal service was established, and a room within the Casa del Commun Tesoro became the island's first post office. The building continued to house the Packet Office until around 1841, when it was transferred to the Banca Giuratale. On 1 April 1849, the Island Post Office was also transferred from the Casa del Commun Tesoro to the Banca Giuratale, which later became known as the General Post Office.

In the early 19th century, the British used the building for a number of public offices, including the Chief Secretary's Office, the office of the Collector of Land Revenue and the Government Treasury. English poet and writer Samuel Taylor Coleridge worked inside the building between 1804 and 1805. A plaque on the façade of the building was attached by Giovanni Bonello in the commemoration of Coleridge. It was converted into a hotel in the late 19th century, known as the Grand Hotel. At one point, part of the building also housed the second cinema to open in Malta, which was called the Grande Cinematografo or the Salinos Cinema. Since the early 20th century, the building has housed the Casino Maltese, a reputed gentlemen's club. The structure was extensively modified in 1914 by the architect Nicola Buhagiar.