Friday Shoot-out: my town’s architecture

 Camillo and I have a house in Nova Friburgo and an apartment in Rio de Janeiro so I consider both ‘my towns’. I have taken photos in Friburgo for the past six week looking, searching, for the good and the interesting about the city and I am Friburgo’d out. Luckily this Friday I will go to Rio and spend a week there, then will be traveling for almost the next two months. I decided to do the Shoot-out this week and next around Rio, and will participate while traveling using photos of whatever town I find myself on a given Friday. AS this is a ‘no rules’ gang I think you all will enjoy the change and this will give you the opportunity to travel real time with me.

“It is the state capital of Rio de Janeiro. The city was the capital of Brazil for nearly two centuries, from 1763 to 1822 during the Portuguese colonial era, and from 1822 to 1960 as an independent nation. It is also the former capital of the Portuguese Empire (1808 - 1821). Commonly known as just Rio, the city is also nicknamed A Cidade Maravilhosa, or ‘The Marvelous City’.” (Wikipedia) This history has left Rio with an architecture that is strongly influenced by Portugal and by the utilitarian construction during the military dictatorship in the 60 & 70s and the 80s which had a floundering economy. When I say utilitarian construction I am really using dirty words. The downtown area once a graceful city with European styled building grew by demolishing the old building and putting tall graceless structures. There are still pockets of what I feel are beautiful buildings but these areas are often neglected and dirty.

Interior of the Municipal Theater. (1909)

Video of early 20th century Rio

View of downtown from Santa Teresa – mixture of graceful older building and graceless newer ones.

Santa Teresa (blog with more about Santa Teresa) is one of the oldest barrios in Rio. Sitting high above downtown it maintains much of its original charm. There is still cable car access to the area from Lapa and is now filled with chic restaurants and well restored houses and museums.

 

 

 

Scattered throughout the city are old homes, preserved but now restaurants, medical facilities, clothing stores. From time to time your eye will catch on an apartment building that reflects the designs from the 40s and 50s (Most of Ipanema is this way because it did not really get going as a barrio until the 70s, before that it was a place of summer, beachside homes.

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