Celebrating the 464 years of São Paulo
On the 25th of January the anniversary of São Paulo is celebrated. In this year of 2018 the city celebrates 464 years and, to mark a date as important as this, we tell in this post a little of the history of the capital of São Paulo and highlight some tourist points to be visited or remembered.
History
The city of São Paulo was born when the Jesuit priests José de Anchieta and Manoel da Nobrega in 1553 climbed the Serra do Mar in search of a safe place, and then found the plateau of Piratininga. On January 25, 1554, a mass was celebrated where the religious built a college on a small hill, near the rivers Tamanduateí and Anhangabaú.
The town of Piratininga took about 157 years to become the city we now know as São Paulo. This decision was ratified by the king of Portugal, because at that time São Paulo was still the starting point for expeditions that had as their objective the mining and imprisonment of Indians for slave labor.
It was only in 1815 that the city became the capital of the Province of São Paulo, but only after it had gained its first college that the city became an intellectual and political nucleus of the country, later becoming an important economic center with the expansion of in the late 19th century.
From 1900 until 1970 there was a great industrial and economic development through the Canadian company Light when it administered the electric power generation of the city. During that time, after the revolution of 1930, the dictatorship of Getúlio Vargas, that settled down after a period of instability in the country, finished along with the Second World War.
In 1950, as a result of Juscelino Kubitschek’s work, the automobile industry arrived in São Paulo, causing the number of migrants to grow due to the lack of local labor, and the metropolitan region grew at the same pace.
From the 1960s, São Paulo became the main economic center and today the capital of São Paulo is the financial center of Latin America.
Architectural highlights
Paulista Avenue
Considered a symbol of diversity and economic center, the most famous avenue in São Paulo is also a cultural symbol. It is worth taking a stroll along the avenue and observing the architectural variety that goes from modern and contemporary designs to the mansions in the classic styles.
Banespa
Located in the center of the city, the Bank of the State of São Paulo, better known as BANESPA or Edifício Altino Arantes, was designed by Plínio Botelho do Amaral and inaugurated in 1947. With 161.22 m of height and 35 floors, its structure is all in reinforced concrete and at the time was considered the highest building in the city. Recently the building was closed for two years for a refurbishment and is now also known as Farol Santander. The new BANESPA will have 11 floors for visitation with cultural and leisure spaces including a skateboard, lofts for rent and spaces for debates. The venture will reopen to the public on January 26.
Architect: Plínio Botelho do Amaral
Year: 1947
Address: Rua João Brícola, 24 – Centro, São Paulo – SP
Glass House
The Glass House designed by Lina Bo Bardi is considered an icon of modern architecture in Brazil. Designed to be the residence of the couple Lina and Pietro, it gained its name because its glass façade gives the feeling of floating on the pillars that sustains them. This solution was because Lina preferred to preserve the natural profile of the terrain, which steeply sloped, forced the front of the house to be built by pilotis. The Casa de Vidro, which today is home to the Lina Bo and Pietra Maria Bardi Institute, in its debut season became a meeting point for architects, intellectuals and artists.
Architect: Lina Bo Bardi
Year: 1951
Address: Rua General Almério de Moura, 200 – Morumbi, São Paulo – SP
Modernist House
Considerada a primeira construção no Brasil a ser feita com os princípios da arquitetura moderna, a Casa Modernista foi projetada pelo arquiteto russo Gregori Warchavchik, além de ser também sua moradia na época. O jardim, projetado por Mina Klabin, sua esposa, proporcionou um uso pioneiro de espécies tropicais. Hoje esse projeto faz parte de uma das 11 casas do Museu da Cidade de São Paulo.
Arquiteto: Gregori Warchavchik
Ano: 1928
Endereço: Rua Santa Cruz, 325 – Vila Mariana, São Paulo – SP
São Paulo Cultural Center
Initially the main idea of the prefecture for the occupation of the land was the implantation of commercial towers, hotels, malls and a library, which was discarded soon after to give space to the project of the architects Eurico Prado Lopes and Luiz Telles that today we know as Center Cultural São Paulo. With Y-shaped ramps and a mixed structure (concrete and steel), CCSP has an open green roof for those who want to enjoy the outdoors.
Architect: Eurico Prado Lopes and Luiz Telles
Year: 1979
Address: Rua Vergueiro, 1000 – Paraíso, São Paulo – SP
Atlético Paulistano Club
Designed by the duo Paulo Mendes da Rocha and João De Gennaro, the Club Atlético Paulistano Gymnasium received the first place, “Grand Prize President of the Republic”, at the VI Biennial of Art and Architecture, in its launch year in 1961. The columns that are the highlight of the work were the result of the need to structure the coverage of the span of 35m in diameter.
Architect: Paulo Mendes da Rocha and João De Gennaro
Year: 1961
Address: Rua Honduras, 1400 – Jardim América, São Paulo – SP
Conjunto Nacional
Located on the most popular avenue in the city of São Paulo, Conjunto Nacional has a constructed area of approximately 150,000 m². The project is basically divided into 2 uses: commercial and residential. The large horizontal volume is divided into three floors and houses uses such as shops, cinema, banks, exhibitions, restaurants and bookstores. The vertical blade houses a mixed use of offices, offices and homes.
Architect: David Libeskind
Year: 1955
Address: Av. Paulista, 2073 – Consolação, São Paulo – SP
Copan
With 115m of height, the Copan is in one of the busiest avenues of São Paulo. Considered a landmark in the São Paulo landscape, the project represents the classic brand of its creator Oscar Niemeyer with sinuous and elegant curves. With 1,160 housing units and a total of 32 type floors, the size of this building is so large that it has its own zip code and, despite the roadway with several obstacles and with evidence that the project has not been finalized, Copan has an undeniable presence and is even recognized for people who are not connoisseurs of architecture. For those interested in visiting it, free tours to the top of the building are organized during the week.
Architect: Oscar Niemeyer
Year: 1950
Address: Av. Ipiranga, 200 – Centro, São Paulo – SP
Martinelli Building
Made in reinforced concrete and neoclassical style, Edifício Martinelli was the first skyscraper in the city of São Paulo. Designed by the architect William Fillinger, this building is 130m high and has a total of 30 floors, but that was not the initial idea. During the construction process the project grew 18 floors more than the initial project, which resulted in the work being embargoed upon arriving on the 24th floor. Located in the old center, today the Edificio Martinelli houses several types of commerce.
Architect: William Fillinger
Year: 1923
Address: Rua São Bento, 405 – Centro, São Paulo – SP
Viadutos Building
Developed in response to the need of the emerging classes of the 1950s to find places that translated their lifestyle, the Viaducts Building was part of the urban planning developed by businessman Artacho Jurado. With foreign influences, the Nouveau, Decó and Hollywoodiano style project has 368 apartments, 27 floors and a roof where it is possible to have a 360º view of the city of São Paulo.
Architect: Artacho Jurado
Year: 1956
Address: General Craveiro Square Lopes, 19 – Bela Vista, São Paulo – SP
FAU
Preserved by CONDEPHAAT as a state cultural heritage, the FAU / USP building is considered one of Artigas’s masterpieces, becoming one of the most important works of architecture in the city of São Paulo. Held in partnership with Carlos Cascaldi, Artigas designed a college where the freedom to experience a structure that proposes movement directly dialogues with the architectural teaching conception defended by the architect himself. In addition, the spaces of the building are not literally divided, only the differences of uses and functions are marked. Without entry doors, the desire to design the project was to create a temple-like environment where all activities were allowed.
Architect: Vilanova Artigas and Carlos Cascaldi
Year: 1969
Address: Rua do Lago 876 – Cidade Universitária, São Paulo – SP
Maria Luiza e Oscar Americano Foundation
Initially designed to be a residence, the Foundation is full of balances, retreats, advances and vacuums, the foundation aims to make the project integrate the environment in which it is and let nature enter their spaces. Designed by the architect Oswaldo Arthur Bratke, the building has lightness amidst plants and trees of various types, in addition to a modulation marked by the apparent structure. Currently, the Foundation aims to preserve nature, gather pieces and documents related to the history of Brazil, conduct courses, concerts and other cultural activities, as well as offering visitors an overview of the country’s past and present.
Architect: Oswaldo Arthur Bratke
Year: 1953
Address: Av. Morumbi, 4077 – Morumbi, São Paulo – SP
IAB
The IAB-SP project emerged in 1943 from the need to have its own space, which led to a national public architectural competition to choose the new project of the headquarters of the architects of São Paulo. With a jury of weight composed of nothing less than Oscar Niemeyer, Firmino Saldanha, Hélio Uchôa, Fernando Saturnino de Britto and Gregori Warchavchik, the three finalist teams would develop the definitive project together, which ended up showing a democracy as a summary of the São Paulo architecture. period. The winning group was composed by Rino Levi, Roberto Cerqueira Cesar, Miguel Forte, Jacob Ruchti, Galiano Ciampaglia, Zenon Lotufo, Abelardo de Souza and Helio Duarte. Because of the Code of Works of the time, only the facades of the last two floors are recessed and the slab of the floor in balance goes to the alignment of the ground. In addition, the building stands out for its independent structure, with free plants that guarantee greater freedom of creation of the internal spaces.
Architects: Rino Levi, Roberto Cerqueira Cesar, Miguel Forte, Jacob Ruchti, Galiano Ciampaglia, Zenon Lotufo, Abelardo de Souza and Helio Duarte
Year: 1950
Address: Rua Bento Freitas, 306 – Vila Buarque, São Paulo – SP
Japan House
With units in Los Angeles and London, Japan House barely arrived in Brazil and has become an architectural tourist spot. Its wooden facade is structured only through fittings and makes a mark for anyone who notices this building from afar. Running away from the obvious where much of the eastern culture in São Paulo is located in the Liberdade neighborhood, the new culture space designed by Kengo Kuma is located on Avenida Paulista, where access is easy and the person traffic is great. The building has 3 floors and, both internally and externally, the design of Japan House is the genuine representation of Japanese culture, where it is possible to find delicacy and technology united in a unique way.
Architect: Kengo Kuma
Year: 2017
Address: Av. Paulista, 52 – Bela Vista, São Paulo – SP
MASP
Located in a privileged point of the city, the São Paulo Museum of Art was designed with the concept of being an art container, where one can find culture besides having a visually simple architecture. Developed by the architect Lina Bo Bardi, it is elevated to 8 meters of the ground and, with a length of 74 meters, was considered the work with the largest open span of latin america. Besides the will result in a large square, MASP has become a landmark of architecture, meetings, demonstrations and free fairs.
Architect: Lina Bo Bardi
Year: 1968
Address: Avenida Paulista, 1578 – Bela Vista São Paulo – SP
MuBE
Designed by Paulo Mendes da Rocha, the Brazilian Museum of Sculpture occupies an area of 7,000 m² and is considered one of the architect’s most significant works. With a large perpendicular beam and a 60m free span, the building was erected in apparent concrete with sheltered exhibition areas below street level, making silence part of the inner environment. The garden was designed by none other than Burle Max, who ends up completing the space and being one of the attractions of the work.
Architect: Paulo Mendes da Rocha
Year: 1987
Address: Av. Europa, 218 – Jardim Europa, São Paulo – SP
Pátio do Colégio
On January 25, 1554, the Patio of the College was the place chosen to begin the catechization of the Indians. The Patio was the first construction of the city of São Paulo and today visitors can see walls and foundations of the time made in pylon.
Year: 1154
Address: Pç. Pateo do Collegio, 2 – Centro, São Paulo – SP
Pinacoteca
Installed in the old Liceu de Artes e Ofícios building at the end of the 19th century, Pinacoteca de São Paulo is considered one of the most important art museums and the oldest in the city of São Paulo. Originally designed by Ramos de Azevedo, the project was designed to be a monument with neo-Renaissance style influences and, consisting of three floors, the project also has two internal courtyards. In the late 1990s the architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha planned the renovation with modern and creative solutions that fit the original design very well.
Architect (renovation): Paulo Mendes da Rocha
Year (retirement): 1998
Address: Praça da Luz, 2 – Bom Retiro, São Paulo – SP
Praça das Artes
The Praça das Artes is named not only for the new modernist building but also for the rehabilitation project of the former Musical Drama Conservatory of São Paulo, which was unused in the city center. The project that connects to the listed building is a project of the Brasil Arquitetura group and has brought a complex of new buildings and spaces for the functioning of the Schools and the Artistic Bodies of the Municipal Theater. The spaces hold various groups linked to culture and the arts, as well as restaurants, parking and living area.
Architect: Brazil Architecture
Year: 2012
Address: Av. São João, 281 – Centro, São Paulo – SP
Praça do Patriarca
Surrounded by buildings important to the history of São Paulo, the Patriarch’s Square is considered one of the oldest squares in the city and is easily recognized by the portico designed by the architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha. With 40 meters of span, the metal cover marks the boundaries between the old center and the new one.
Architect: Paulo Mendes da Rocha
Year: 1912
Address: Rua Líbero Badaró – Centro, São Paulo – SP
Santa Paula Iate Club
Virtually without beams the 1: 5 aspect ratio is defined by two main longitudinal beams in prestressed concrete about 70 m in length. Designed by Vilanova Artigas, the work is defined by a rectangular cover in tripartite slab, with eight supports arranged symmetrically on the two large sides, supported directly on the foundation blocks on stone cladding walls. Nowadays the work is degraded and abandoned even though it has a reform project approved by the Municipal Council of Preservation of the Historical Patrimony of São Paulo.
Architect: Vilanova Artigas
Year: 1961
Address: Avenida Robert Kennedy, São Paulo – SP
Second Residence of the Architect
Inspired by the brutalist architectural style, Vilanova Artigas designed this project to be his own home. With a marked facade and all in glass, this residence brings the essence of what Artigas represents for architecture: striking lines. Currently the work is occupied by the publishing group Giz Brasil and is open to visitors during the week.
Architect: Vilanova Artigas
Year: 1949
Address: Rua Barão de Jaceguaí, 1151 – Campo Belo, São Paulo-SP
Sesc Pompéia
After visiting the Drum Factory where Sesc, which at the time was a pioneer in the construction of reinforced concrete, decided to use the same method in her work. Located in the western area of São Paulo, Sesc Pompéia is a cultural and leisure center, as well as an architectural symbol. Famous for its external walkways and blocks with heights of 45m, 52m and 72m high, this project stands out for anyone who sees it on the horizon.
Architect: Lina Bo Bardi
Year: 1986
Address: Rua Clélia, 93 – Barra Funda, São Paulo – SP
Municipal Theater
With elements of Renaissance or neo-classical architecture influenced by art noveau, the Theater is currently a listed building. Considered the main house of spectacles in Brazil and South America, the Municipal Theater blends its history with remarkable stories of the country’s culture, such as the Modern Art Week of 1922.
Architect: Ramos de Azevedo
Year: 1911
Address: Praça Ramos de Azevedo, s / n – República, São Paulo – SP
Available in: https://followthecolours.com.br/traveluv/roteiro-arquitetura-sao-paulo/ Accessed in: 25/01/2018.
Available in: https://www.archdaily.com.br/br/868308/guia-de-arquitetura-moderna-de-sao-paulo Accessed in: 25/01/2018.
