Nascimento Department Store (Rua de Santa Catarina)

It fell to Marques da Silva’s to design one of the most prominent buildings in Porto’s baixa (downtown), built to accommodate the Nascimento Department Store. Erected in 1914, it reveals the beaux arts education that this architect received in Paris from Victor Laloux (1850-1937), seeking to blend a classicist style and strong decorative impact with the functional character required of the new buildings made of concrete.