Location of Foz Velha (2024) by João Novais TavaresFaculty of Arts and Humanities of University of Porto
Located at the mouth of the River Douro, Foz Velha has developed autonomously since the Middle Ages, despite its proximity to the city of Porto. For this reason, it is characterised by a high degree of heterogeneity, bringing together a mass of architecture from different periods and artistic expressions.
Foz Velha classified area (2024) by João Novais TavaresFaculty of Arts and Humanities of University of Porto
Motivated by the desire and urgency to safeguard its cultural significance, in 2013 it was classified as a Site of Public Interest, recognising its historical, antiquity, artistic, architectural, urban and landscape values.
Corguinha area (2024) by João Novais TavaresFaculty of Arts and Humanities of University of Porto
The Corguinha area, which is eminently rural in character, is located at high level. It is characterised by less residential occupation and the existence of several farmhouses (Casas de Lavoura) and single-storey (Casas Térreas) houses, with larger backyards and gardens.
Corguinha area (2024) by João Novais TavaresFaculty of Arts and Humanities of University of Porto
Cantareira has a closer relationship with the river, the sea and fishing practices. It is characterised by irregular roads and a high density of housing, with houses huddled together along the hillside. The houses are generally low-rise and have no green spaces.
Padre Luís Cabral Street area (2024) by João Novais TavaresFaculty of Arts and Humanities of University of Porto
The urban organisation of the Padre Luís Cabral area is defined by the street of the same name, which connects the high ground to the riverside area. This is where most of Foz Velha's bourgeois houses are located, including the 19th-century palaces associated with the development of villeggiatura houses.
Territorial division of Foz Velha (2024) by João Novais TavaresFaculty of Arts and Humanities of University of Porto
There is thus a coexistence of languages that bear witness to a gradual transition of Foz to the present day, without there being an abrupt break between the present and the past.
In the farmhouses (Casas de Lavoura) we see greater care in the organisation of the dwelling than in the exterior ornaments, motivated by the way of living facing the interior of the property, with which the house has a close relationship. These green spaces are primarily used for farming. However, with the passage of time, there are many examples of them being transformed into recreational gardens, responding to a diverse programme and possibly including exotic plants.
Fence wall in Farmhouse (Casa de Lavoura) (2009) by GoogleStreatViewFaculty of Arts and Humanities of University of Porto
Due to their agricultural nature, these properties had walls, either mortared and plastered or dry-jointed, in which wooden or cast-iron gates were torn.
Tap to explore
Adaptation to contemporary needs has led to the creation of new openings, with larger dimensions and modern materials, as well as the construction of garages. However, maintaining the wall's construction technique helps safeguard its characteristics.
Single-storey (Casas Térreas) houses can appear alone or in groups, without any prominent decorative elements. Casa João is exemplary for the intervention in this ordinary popular dwelling, restoring the ceramic cladding on the façade and the wooden window frames. The contemporary addition is characterised by the wooden cladding (a traditional material, but not characteristic of the retreated floors of Foz) and retains the ceramic tile roof. It thus contributes to the authenticity of this historic urban landscape.
Bourgeois mercantilist housing (2009) by GoogleStreatViewFaculty of Arts and Humanities of University of Porto
Some of the interventions carried out seek to interpret the dominant characteristics of the historic building, such as the composition of the façade, the organisation of the floor plan, the rhythm of the openings and the type of cladding.
Tap to explore
In this way, the aim is to safeguard the cultural significance of the entire urban complex, while demarcating the interventions through the controlled contrast between the pre-existence and the additions.
1 - Painted plaster; 2 - Ceramic tiles; 3 - Apparent granite stonework; 4 - Painted iron railings; 5 - Slate tiles.
In the Foz Velha complex, the main body is traditionally clad in painted plaster or rectangular bevelled tiles. The retreated floors, which were added at various times, are clad in corrugated or smooth metal sheeting or slate tiles. Also noteworthy are the exposed granite stonework elements, such as cornices, pilasters and platbands, as well as the painted iron railings of the balcony openings.
The painted plaster cladding is highly polychromatic, regardless of the type of house. This characteristic will be maintained in the interventions of the 21st century.
‘The western neighbourhood is the English one, because that's where these new guests live. Predominates the houses painted in dark green, earthy purple, grey, black... even black! Unpretentious but elegant architecture [...]’
(Júlio Dinis in Uma Família Inglesa)
Tap to explore
The houses of the liberal bourgeoisie appeared along the Passeio Alegre in the 19th century. Exclusively dedicated to residential use, they kept the previous formal and material elements, but introduced bevelled tile cladding on the outside.
Passeio Alegre Postcard Ticket (c.1910) by Grandes Armazéns HermíniosFaculty of Arts and Humanities of University of Porto
Within this category, palaces stand out for their size and use of a classicising or revivalist language, with a greater aesthetic concern for the main façade. They are located on larger plots and can be associated with the practice of bathing and villeggiatura.
The rest of the liberal bourgeois housing, with a narrower and longer patio, can be associated in a band or twinning, sharing a wall. It has between two and four floors and can include a semi-underground basement that raises the ground floor and regularises the unevenness of the terrain, as well as retreated floors or the use of attic spaces. The central stairwell is usually lit by a skylight.
Tap to explore
This intervention is exemplary of the addition of new bodies with a contemporary language, seeking to radically distance itself from the pre-existence and contributing to the reading of the authenticity of the whole. However, it seeks to associate itself through its height and volume.
Top image: 1 - Painted plaster; 2 - Ceramic tile; 3 - Mortared ordinary stonework; 4 - Zinc sheet; 5 - Aluminium; 6 - Painted wooden panels. Bottom image: 1 - Bevelled tile; 2 - Ceramic tile; 3 - Apparent granite stonework; 4 - Aluminium; 5 - Painted iron railings; 6 - Slate tiles.
Foz Velha continues to be gradually transformed through intervention in the buildings, while endeavouring to preserve both the authenticity of the historic urban landscape and its cultural significance. This is achieved by maintaining and reproducing its characteristics, including forms, techniques and materials, but allowing the introduction of new tastes and artistic languages, typical of a heritage that wants to live on.
This exhibition is part of the seven virtual exhibitions produced by the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Porto, dedicated to the ‘North of Portugal’, created between November and December 2024, at the invitation of Google Arts and Culture.
General coordination of "North of Portugal" - Ana Cristina Sousa (DCTP-FLUP/CITCEM), Diana Felícia (FLUP/CITCEM) e Maria Leonor Botelho (DCTP/CITCEM).
Curatorship and texts - João Novais Tavares (FLUP/CITCEM).
Scientific Review - Maria Leonor Botelho (DCTP-FLUP/CITCEM).
Photo credits - João Novais Tavares; Arquivo Histórico Municipal do Porto, Biblioteca Nacional Digital.
Video - Casa João (Porto, 2017) - Dinis Sottomayor (direction), Guilherme Machado Vaz (architecture), Dinis Sottomayor (filming), Gustavo Imigrante (edition).
Consultancy and assembly - Diana Felícia.
Acknowledgements - This exhibition was created as part of a master's degree project in Art History, Heritage and Visual Culture at Faculty of Arts and Humanities, by João Novais Tavares, supervised by Professor Maria Leonor Botelho and Dr David Ferreira (DRCN).
You are all set!
Your first Culture Weekly will arrive this week.