Gunpowder Storehouse, Gunpowder storehouse in João Pessoa, Brazil

The Gunpowder Storehouse is a rectangular stone building from the Portuguese colonial period in northeastern Brazil, used to store ammunition and explosive materials. Its solid construction and thick walls reflect the military importance of the structure during that era.

Built by royal charter of captain-major governor Fernando de Barros e Vasconcelos on 10 August 1704, the storehouse was completed in 1710 under captain-major governor João da Maia de Gama. It is the only survivor of three gunpowder and arms depots once built in João Pessoa. IPHAN listed it on 24 May 1938, after which it was restored.

The storehouse sits on the upper slope of Ladeira de São Francisco, one of João Pessoa's first streets, between the Varadouro channel and the São Francisco church, which served as the Dutch military and administrative seat. Today the restored building houses the Walfredo Rodrigues Photographic Museum and the tourist bar Paiol.

The storehouse stands on Ladeira de São Francisco, one of the first streets of João Pessoa, on the upper part of the city. From its structure you can see the Paraíba River estuary a few kilometres below. It sits between the Varadouro, the Sanhauá tidal channel, and the Church of São Francisco.

The storehouse is the only survivor of three gunpowder and arms depots built in João Pessoa; the others, on Rua Nova (today Rua General Osório) and Passeio Geral (Rua Rodrigues Chaves), were destroyed over time. Its site on the upper slope of Ladeira de São Francisco, between the Varadouro channel and the São Francisco church, also opens onto the Paraíba River estuary.