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49-507: Designed by architect Giulio Micheli and developed by engineers Giuseppe Chiapori and Mário Tibiriçá, the structure was produced in Belgium and intended to improve the traffic and circulation of cars, carriages and streetcars crossing the Anhangabaú Valley during the 19th century. The viaduct was built between 1910 and 1913 and inaugurated on July 26, 1913, by Mayor Raymundo Duprat . Today,

98-667: A bus station . With gardens, works of art and three fountains, Vale do Anhangabaú is today a postcard of the City Center of São Paulo, from where it is possible to glimpse buildings such as the Martinelli , Altino Arantes , Teatro Municipal , and the Matarazzo Building , headquarters of city hall. The space also acts as a stage for Virada Cultural , a traditional event in São Paulo that promotes shows and cultural activities throughout

147-608: A great afforestation of the Anhangabaú Valley was carried out, resulting in the formation of the Anhangabaú Park. This project took shape from a combination of three projects, including "Grandes Avenidas", by the architect Alexandre Albuquerque , which resulted in the urbanization of the valley with the insertion of buildings. Between 1920 and 1930, Vale do Anhangabaú served as an important center for socialization and encounters between homosexuals . The Anhangabaú Park served as

196-529: A limited budget, the Santa Ifigênia Viaduct was inaugurated on July 26, 1913, a year later than planned, by Mayor Raymundo Duprat. Besides connecting Largo São Bento and Largo Santa Ifigênia, the viaduct's aim also included improving the traffic of cars and carriages on the slopes of the São João Avenue , XV de Novembro Street and São Bento Street , where the streetcars used to pass. In the 1970s,

245-519: A meeting point for men and women who wanted to find partners and manifest themselves sexually. It was a place that had many spots that were already characterized by prostitutes and homosexuals in search of sexual partners. In the late 1930s, the park was disbanded and gave way to an expressway. In the following decade, an underground connection was created between the Ramos de Azevedo and the Patriarca squares:

294-450: A model that emerged in Germany in the 1930s, twenty traditional streets in the central region were closed to motor vehicle traffic, making them exclusively for pedestrians. The then mayor of the municipality, Olavo Egídio Setúbal , tried to encourage the population to use public transport as a priority. At the time, the historic center was still the financial hub of the city, and the measure

343-477: Is a 225-meter road marked by the economic and cultural progress of the city of São Paulo during the 19th century. The viaduct was designed to improve circulation within São Paulo and, over the years, it has become one of the city's main tourist attractions. Currently, it is exclusively for crossing people, connecting important points in the new and old city centers, such as Santa Ifigênia Street, Cásper Líbero Avenue, Antônio de Godói Street and Largo do Paissandú . It

392-546: Is a region in the city center of São Paulo , located between the viaducts do Chá and Santa Ifigênia . It is a public space commonly characterized as park , where events have traditionally been organized, such as public demonstrations, political rallies, presentations and popular shows. It is considered the point that separates the Old City Center from the New City Center. Currently, the 43 thousand square meters of

441-515: Is officially called the Centro Novo ( English : New Center). During the Revolution of 1924 , the area was bombed by federal government planes. The legalist army under Artur Bernardes used the so-called "terrifying bombardment", hitting several points in the city, especially working-class neighborhoods such as Mooca , Ipiranga , Brás , Belenzinho and Centro. Over the course of the 20th century,

490-501: Is worth mentioning, as more than a million people gathered in Vale do Anhangabaú to continue the "Diretas Já!" demonstrations. Historic Center of S%C3%A3o Paulo The Historic Center of São Paulo ( Portuguese : Centro Histórico de São Paulo ), also known as Centro , is a neighborhood in the Central Zone of the municipality of São Paulo , Brazil . It corresponds to the area where

539-748: The B3 headquarters, where visitors can watch transactions on a big screen; the St Benedict's Monastery , where masses are held at 10 a.m. on Sundays; the Martinelli Building , the first skyscraper in South America ; the Banco do Brasil Cultural Center , which has exhibition halls, a cinema, a theater, a restaurant, an auditorium and bookstores; the Municipal Theater of São Paulo, with free concerts on Wednesdays; and

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588-539: The Barão de Iguape Building , in Patriarca Square . Banco do Brasil , which began its activities in São Paulo in a branch at the intersection of Quitanda and Álvares Penteado streets, where the local unit of the Banco do Brasil Cultural Center now stands, built a 142-meter-high building in the historic center of São Paulo in the 1950s to serve as its regional headquarters in the state. On September 3, 1976, in line with

637-472: The Engenheiro Luis Carlos Berrini and Chucri Zaidan avenues, in the vicinity of Nações Unidas Avenue ( Marginal Pinheiros ), has intensified this process. Until the 1970s, the historic center of São Paulo, already with a consolidated infrastructure and filled with large corporations and skyscrapers, still concentrated a significant part of the large national and foreign companies based in

686-584: The Mirante do Vale Building . It was built from 1,100 tons of iron from Belgium, which together create the Art Nouveau style. In 1978, it was refurbished and re-inaugurated with a promenade made with parts from the same company that had supplied the original structures. In 1982, it was painted in rainbow colors. The Art Nouveau style is visible in the viaduct's railings, which highlight the curved lines and shapes inspired by flowers and foliage. The Santa Ifigênia Viaduct

735-465: The Prestes Maia Gallery , where the city's first escalators were installed. The intersection between Anhangabaú Avenue and Avenida São João gained a different height in 1951, with the construction of Buraco do Ademar , which remained there for 37 years, being subsequently replaced by two homonymous tunnels (Papa João Paulo II). The east side of the valley was gradually remodeled in the middle of

784-547: The Sé Cathedral . Although it is common to consider the Sé and República districts as the historic center of São Paulo, the title truly belongs to the Sé district, more specifically to the area between Largo de São Francisco , Largo São Bento and Sé Square , which form the "historical triangle" where a Jesuit college was built and from which the settlement, and later the town of São Paulo de Piratininga , originated. The portion of

833-561: The port of Santos and arrived in the area via the São Paulo Railway . Assembly work was carried out by the Lidgerwood Manufacturing Company Limited under the direction of engineer Giuseppe Chiappori, a partner of Giulio Micheli and Mário Tibiriçá. The German master builder and carpenter Johann Grundt was responsible for laying the foundations. Due to expropriations and compensation, a lack of qualified labor and

882-555: The 20th centuries. The area is home to several cultural centers, bars, restaurants, museums, most of the city's tourist attractions and municipal and state government offices. The State Secretariat for Sport and Tourism promotes walking tours of the area, allowing locals and visitors to see the most diverse buildings, such as: the São Paulo Bank, a construction currently used by the São Paulo State Department of Tourism;

931-480: The 20th century, with the demolition of the three Palacetes Prates , between 1935 and 1970, giving way to taller buildings. In the early 1980s, the Municipality held a public tender for the remodeling of the region. The urban planners Jorge Wilheim and Rosa Grena Kliass were the winners, proposing a revitalization project that created a slab over the existing avenues on the site, at a height sufficient to connect

980-482: The 430th anniversary of São Paulo, on January 25, 1984. People organized themselves in a demonstration that had more than two hundred thousand people and occupied the region of Praça da Sé. Thus, in a matter of days, rallies began to be formed by large crowds and began to take place in squares and public places in cities such as Brasília, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte, expressing the desire to conquer their own citizenship. The demonstration of April 16, 1984, however,

1029-525: The Anhangabaú Valley are used as a crossing point for people wishing to transit between the east and west regions of the center, and can be defined as an extensive boardwalk under a road junction. The space also interconnects with other squares in the central area, such as Ramos de Azevedo Square , juxtaposed with the Valley, Largo São Bento , through the steps of the Metro and Praça da Bandeira , which currently houses

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1078-571: The Anhangabaú Valley, reaching its mouth at Tamanduateí River , at the47 edge of Municipal Market . Thus, the Tamanduateí constitutes a kind of delta with its main tributary, Anhangabaú. The name Anhangabaú possibly derives from the fact that its waters are very ferreous and acidic - in Tupi, it means "poisonous water". The indigenous people considered the river cursed and, currently, it is channeled and hidden, except for its springs, which are outdoors, between

1127-630: The Dramatic and Musical Conservatory of São Paulo, which is called the School of Dance of São Paulo, also known as the School of Dance of the Municipal Theater of São Paulo (EDTMSP). Basically, it is a university campus that concentrates classes on public dance in the city. The Anhangabaú River , which gave origin to the Valley, is born as Saracura Stream, which runs through Avenida 9 de Julho and goes through

1176-523: The Santa Ifigênia Viaduct crosses the Anhangabaú Valley and Prestes Maia Avenue and connects the old and new city centers. Designed in the Art Nouveau style, the place is one of São Paulo's main postcards. Between the Santa Ifigênia Viaduct and Duque de Caxias Street, there are several stores and small galleries selling different types of electronic products, such as computers, video games, cell phones, sound and lighting equipment and musical instruments. At

1225-574: The Stock Exchange is still based in the area today. The existence of large skyscrapers that were once the national or regional headquarters of major Brazilian and foreign financial institutions shows the economic power that lived there. The main banks were Banespa , with its headquarters in the famous Altino Arantes Building , Banco Mercantil de São Paulo , which had its premises in the Mercantil Finasa Building , and Unibanco , based in

1274-611: The central area of the city was the transfer of the City Hall headquarters, which until then had been located inside Ibirapuera Park , to the Palácio das Indústrias . Ten years later, it was moved back to the corner of Líbero Badaró Street and Viaduto do Chá, where it is today. The Largo São Bento and the Municipal Theatre were also renovated and remodeled, and the traffic lanes in the Anhangabaú Valley were filled in, where an exclusive area

1323-619: The city center included in the definition of "historic center" was occupied later and today corresponds to the República district, located at the end of the Santa Ifigênia Viaduct and the Viaduto do Chá . Although this region concentrates a considerable number of São Paulo's historic landmarks, such as the Municipal Theatre, Ladeira da Memória, the Mário de Andrade Library and Republic Square , it

1372-547: The city was founded on January 25, 1554, by the Jesuit priests António Vieira , Joseph of Anchieta and Manuel da Nobrega . It is composed of the Sé and República districts and features most of the buildings that portray the city's history, such as the Pátio do Colégio , the location of its establishment. The Historic Center is extremely rich in historical monuments dating from the 16th through

1421-401: The city's architectural history, the Anhangabaú Valley played a very influential role in the social history of São Paulo residents. A milestone in the history of the Valley was the event that became known as " Diretas Já ". The movement happened spontaneously and had repercussions at the national level, as the people exercised their political power through the desire for direct elections to choose

1470-454: The city. Due to its wide dimension, the Valley is considered an adequate space for large public meetings and was even the stage for the largest Brazilian public rally, in the Diretas Já demonstrations, organized on April 16, 1984, when it was received about 1.5 million people. In addition to being in a region that houses all the places mentioned above, the Vale do Anhangabaú is also located near

1519-424: The city. In its narrow streets, where cars and pedestrians struggled to share the little space available, there was room for large department stores, household appliances, bookstores and restaurants of all kinds, with their facades full of advertisements that characterized the urban profile of the streets. However, during this same period, the area was already experiencing the effects of severe urban decay , such as

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1568-527: The clean and drained floodplain of the Tamanduateí River, which, in turn, would connect to other avenues and even the Anhangabaú Stream — which was being rectified at the time. Even with so many suggestions for urban improvement, despite their proposals, the complexity of elaborating the works was greater than what monarchic governments could act at that moment, so they were not carried out. In 1910,

1617-456: The end of the 19th century, São Paulo's population multiplied and its urban network expanded due to the coffee economy, which created a demand for improvements in the city's transportation and traffic. In 1901, a project for a viaduct linking Largo São Bento to Largo de Santa Ifigênia was submitted to the City Council . The project became the second viaduct to cross the Anhangabaú Valley, as there

1666-512: The historic center of São Paulo reached its economic and social apogee, as well as its maximum degradation. At the same time, the city's economic centrality migrated in a south-westerly direction with the emergence of the Paulista Avenue business center and, later, Brigadeiro Faria Lima Avenue . More recently, the creation of a large commercial pole extending through the Vila Olímpia area and

1715-474: The idealization of the Viaduto do Chá — which would only be inaugurated in 1892. For the construction of the viaduct, only the lane used for the work was expropriated. In 1884, Decree 233 (the first sanitary code in the State of São Paulo) was made to contribute to the newly created Sanitary Service body. The code contained some rules that provided improvements to the soil issue in the cities, such as more trees, paving

1764-418: The population already established in the area from remaining there. This led to an emptying of the area's population, which would worsen continuously and acutely until the early 1990s, when, faced with a picture of profound and absolutely obvious degradation, the government began a process of urban requalification of the central part of the city. Among the initial measures of the urban requalification policy in

1813-462: The president of Brazil. Several rallies were held, the first being in the city of Abreu e Lima, Pernambuco, on March 31, 1983. In November of the same year, ten thousand people from São Paulo gathered for the first rally held in the Capital. After these first two rallies, the movement took on major proportions across the country. After the two rallies, another one that gained repercussion took place on

1862-631: The region's popularity among tourists and visitors. Among the events is the Caminhada Noturna ( English : Night Walk), a free tour of the city center held about a decade ago, which takes place every Thursday starting on the steps of the Municipal Theater at 8 pm. Some of the most popular and well-known tourist attractions are: Today, the historic center of São Paulo is also characterized by old abandoned buildings. Formerly luxurious architectural projects, they are now home to vulnerable populations. Among these structures, some were large spaces dedicated to

1911-455: The regions of Vila Mariana and Paraíso. Because of its size, the Valley was the scene of historical facts of great national importance, such as the inauguration of the Viaduto do Chá in 1892, the channeling of Anhangabaú River in 1906, and the replacement of the park's gardens by avenues, in 1940, following the architectural changes of the city. In 1877, the urbanization of the area began, through

1960-422: The streets and draining wet land, which indicated that the drainage of the floodplains of São Paulo became a norm. During the administration of João Alfredo Correia, from Pernambuco who presided over São Paulo between 1885 and 1886, several works were also started. He proposed to create a circular boulevard around the central area, so that it would comprise a gigantic avenue full of trees, from Brás to Ipiranga, in

2009-407: The transfer of the headquarters of many companies to other parts of the city, the heavy deterioration of the public space, the increase in crime rates, the process of real estate speculation in abandoned and unmaintained properties, the increase in the number of people living on the streets, the emergence of many tenements and the deterioration in the quality of life, which discouraged a large part of

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2058-433: The two sides of the Valley, with the car traffic falling below and recreating the green area between Viaduto do Chá and Viaduto Santa Ifigênia . The main focus was to transform the Valley into a large boulevard, to resume the original function of its construction at the beginning of the 20th century. Since 2019, Vale do Anhangabaú has undergone a renovation, which was completed in 2022. In addition to its importance for

2107-530: The viaduct was protected by a Municipal Zoning Law. It also underwent a renovation that restored the structure and made it pedestrian-only. The light fittings were replaced with old ones, the paving was changed to colored tiles and a staircase was installed to give access to the Anhangabaú Valley. The Santa Ifigênia Viaduct is an elevated pedestrian passage over Prestes Maia Avenue , connecting Largo de São Bento to Largo de Santa Ifigênia . It has concrete bases decorated with pillars from which metal arches emerge. It

2156-565: The viaduct's roof. In 2024, São Paulo City Hall announced the renovation of the Santa Ifigência Viaduct. The work includes rebuilding the slab under the tiles, waterproofing to prevent future infiltration and regularizing the base to ensure a solid and durable foundation. The work is expected to cost R$ 6.5 million and is scheduled for completion in August this year. Vale do Anhangaba%C3%BA Vale do Anhangabaú ( Anhangabaú Valley )

2205-534: Was already the Chá Viaduct , inaugurated in 1892. Construction of the Santa Ifigênia Viaduct began in 1910 and ended in 1913, during the term of Mayor Raymundo Duprat. A loan of £250,000 from the British was required for the construction of the project, representing the first foreign debt incurred by São Paulo City Hall. The viaduct structure was manufactured in Belgium. Around 1,100 tons of metal structure were unloaded at

2254-527: Was designed by architect Giulio Micheli and engineers Giuseppe Chiapori and Mário Tibiriçá. The tessellated floor on concrete slabs forms tricolored geometric carpets. There are also small ditches with metal grids to collect rainwater. The Santa Ifigênia Viaduct is also accessible from a staircase paved with rubber pads in Pedro Lessa Square, where the Bandeira Terminal is currently located, next to

2303-400: Was received with much criticism and trepidation. After these streets were closed to vehicles, local traders began to complain about a considerable drop in customer traffic. However, even today the so-called calçadões remain one of the most striking urban features of São Paulo's historic center. The concentration of a large number of historical, architectural and cultural landmarks highlights

2352-413: Was set up for pedestrians to use as a square. For most of its history, the historic center of São Paulo was the financial hub and the largest commercial, banking and service center in the city. The region still preserves a vigorous street trade and a significant range of services, but the massive relocation of the headquarters of financial institutions, luxury retailers and restaurants is visible. However,

2401-542: Was the first major road project in São Paulo to be widely documented through photography. Despite being protected by the Zoning Law and listed as a historical and cultural heritage site in the city of São Paulo, the Santa Ifigênia Viaduct is subject to vandalism. Currently, the structure is solid but damaged. There are broken posts used as garbage cans, rust on the metal parts, loose tiles on the floor and stairs and also homeless people located in Pedro Lessa Square who live under

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