Remodeling Carioca Square
A short, but rare scene: the demolition of the buildings at the base of the Santo Antônio Convent
City infrastructure works: Carioca Square remodel, removal of the Castelo Hill, construction on Beira-Mar Avenue ([1926])General Archive of Rio de Janeiro City
Demolishing to expand
In 1925 and 1926, the administration of Mayor Alaor Prata (1922-1926) sought to expand Carioca Square (Largo da Carioca), a landmark in the center of Rio de Janeiro.
Demolição do Chafariz do Largo da Carioca (1926-06-12/1926-06-12) by Augusto MaltaGeneral Archive of Rio de Janeiro City
A fountain and bathhouse are going down
In the center of the image is the debris from demolishing the Carioca Fountain, the Shower House, and the entrance to the Santo Antônio Convent, which remains a landmark in the Carioca Square area.
On the left, the Carioca Square Fountain and part of the Shower House. On the right is the Santo Antônio Convent. Its entrance, with its statues and staircase, can be seen below, on the right. All of these were demolished during the reconstruction of Carioca Square by Alaor Prata.
Decreto n. 2214: desapropriações remodelação do Largo da Carioca (07.10.1925) by 07.10.1925General Archive of Rio de Janeiro City
Decree No. 2214
"The buildings and land necessary for executing the Carioca Square and 13 de Maio Street expansion project are hereby expropriated, further to the existing legislation."
Planta da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro - 1935General Archive of Rio de Janeiro City
Rio de Janeiro City Plan, 1935
Produced by the Department of Traffic, Labor, and Public Works, the plan already depicts the expansion works in Carioca Square.
Fachada Frontal e lateral do Chafariz do Largo da Carioca (1912-05-06/1912-05-06) by Augusto MaltaGeneral Archive of Rio de Janeiro City
Carioca Fountain
Preceded by two other fountains, this one from 1835 had 35 spouts and represented a key development in the history of water supply in the city. Left: The Treze de Maio Avenue.
After the expansion of Carioca Square, the view of the Santo Antônio Convent wall at two different times: on the left, with the old buildings that were still in the area in the 1950s, namely the one with the circular dome and the old headquarters of the O Globo newspaper. On the right, in a November 2022 photograph, we see part of the Central Avenue Building (in the left-hand corner) and the Caixa Econômica Federal bank building in the center.
On the left is a view of the garden to the Santo Antônio Convent. On the right is the same angle in September 2021.
Mayor of Rio de Janeiro
Eduardo Paes
Secretary of State
Eduardo Cavaliere
General Archive of the City of Rio de Janeiro
Rosa Maria Araujo
Documentation Center
Maria Thereza Kahl Fonseca
Curatorship, editing and historical research
Conrado Werneck Pimentel
Text revision
Pedro Paulo Malta
Video editing
Bruno Fontes
Interns
Luísa da Costa de Oliveira and Marcelle Araujo Lins
Film digitization
LUPA/UFF - University Laboratory for Audiovisual Preservation
ReferencesMemória da Destruição
Arquivo Geral da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro
Terras e Fatos
Aureliano Restier Gonçalves
Verbete CPDOC - Alaor Prata
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