Look closely at these big houses on the corner, around Rua Sacadura Cabral, 163. These old homes still bear the mark of the reforms that mayor Francisco Pereira Passos carried out in the beginning of the 20th century.
Notice these authentic urban ruins and the stories they tell. They were constructed at a time when the mayor, nominated by president Rodrigues Alves, buried Rio’s past under the idea of a new country brought on by the winds of the Republic and the end of slavery.
Passos radically changed downtown Rio de Janeiro between 1902 and 1906. He was inspired by Paris, the city he came to know as a student. Downtown Rio was disorganized, lacking large avenues and basic sanitation. Passos built a sewage and water supply system as well as a transportation network. At the same time, however, he demolished hundreds of colonial-era homes, which served as tenements in the region. Buildings by the Arcos da Lapa were knocked down, and Senado Hill was completely removed! In its place today is Ave. Mem de Sá.
But the major mark from his reforms was the opening of Ave. Central, today known as Ave. Rio Branco, which measures 1,800 meters long and 33 meters wide. To further beautify – and further gentrify – the city, the mayor made an official competition for creating the façades along Ave. Central, creating the aesthetic that many buildings still have today in downtown Rio.
The avenue was chic, with Portuguese stone walkways and Brazilwood trees lining the median. Imposing buildings such as the National Library and the Municipal Theater were built, all to look like Paris.