Altino Arantes Building
Encyclopedia
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
located in São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
History
The building was constructed to be the headquarters of the Bank of the State of São Paulo (Banespa), between 1939 and 1947. It remained the tallest building of the city for two decades until surpassed by the Edifício ItáliaEdifício Itália
Edifício Itália is a 168 metre tall 46 story skyscraper in São Paulo, Brazil, built from 1956 to 1965. It hosts the Circolo Italiano foundation and Terraço Italia restaurant in its 44th floor. It also has a rooftop observation deck, open for tourists.Edifício Itália was designed by...
. Soon after its completion in the 1940s, it was named the world's largest structure of reinforced concrete. It was designed by Plínio Botelho do Amaral, who was inspired by the Empire State Building
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...
and Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
. Its panoramic view of the center of São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
and its outskirts attract thousands of visitors. In the future, the Altino Arantes building will become the headquarters of the Banespa Cultural Institute, facilitating artistic and cultural activities.
After its foundation in 1909, the Banespa underwent a period of substantial expansion and needed a larger headquarters. The first place chosen for such purpose was in the Square Ramos de Azevedo, a place distant from the São Paulo's banking district near the streets Is Bento and XV de Novembro. Determined to move to an area of more economic prominence, the bank made an agreement with the Santa Casa de Misericórdia to purchase a building that they would demolish to construct a new headquarters on João Brícola street. The project was held in the account of the engineer and architect Plinio Botelho do Amaral, but was adapted by the contracting firm Camargo & Mesquita, who wanted to construct something similar to the Empire State Building.
Construction began on September 19, 1939. After almost 8 years, the building was inaugurated on June 27, 1947 as São Paulo's tallest, being 161.22 meters in height. It remained São Paulo's tallest skyscraper for nearly 20 years. In the time of inauguration it was also tallest skyscraper outside United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. During much time the building was easily identifiable due to the luminous signboard that shone from its roof. In the following year a French magazine called it the biggest structure of armed concrete of the world, because many big buildings (including the Empire State Building, which at the time was the world's tallest) were constructed with metal. In the decade of the 1960s the building's name was changed to "Edifício Altino Arantes", an homage to the first Brazilian president of the bank, Altino Arantes Marques. Since then, the building has not undergone any significant external alterations, even after the 2000 sale of Banespa to the Spanish financial group Banco Santander Central Hispano.
Statistics
The building has 35 floors, is 161.22 meters tall and 17,951 square meters in area, and has 14 elevators, 900 steps and 1,119 windows. For 20 years, it was the tallest building in São Paulo. In 1948, it was considered to be the biggest reinforced concrete structure in the world.Hall
The entrance hall is 379 square meters in area. Its chandelierChandelier
A chandelier is a branched decorative ceiling-mounted light fixture with two or more arms bearing lights. Chandeliers are often ornate, containing dozens of lamps and complex arrays of glass or crystal prisms to illuminate a room with refracted light...
employs national crystal in the "déco-eclectic" style. It has granite blocks on the floor, small tiles with very small drawings of the Brazilian territory, encircled by the words "Banco do Estado do São Paulo" (Bank of the State of São Paulo).
View
The Banespa Tower is one of the best-known skyscrapers of São Paulo. In the highest point of the building, accessible from 33rd floor by 2 sets of stairs, there is an observation deck with views of up to 40 km. One can see there other important landmarks of the city, such as the Municipal Market, the Sé Cathedral, the Edifício Italia which took its place as the city's highest building, and beyond into diverse neighboring quarters. From the top one may see- Catedral da SéCatedral da SéThe São Paulo See Metropolitan Cathedral --"See" and "cathedra" mean "seat" and therefore the ecclesiastical authority of a bishop or archbishop is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of São Paulo, Brazil. The current Metropolitan Archbishop of the archdiocese is His Eminence, Cardinal...
- Pátio do Colégio
- Viaduto Santa Ifigênia
- Vale do Anhangabaú
- Edifício ItáliaEdifício ItáliaEdifício Itália is a 168 metre tall 46 story skyscraper in São Paulo, Brazil, built from 1956 to 1965. It hosts the Circolo Italiano foundation and Terraço Italia restaurant in its 44th floor. It also has a rooftop observation deck, open for tourists.Edifício Itália was designed by...
- Viaduto do CháViaduto do CháViaduto do Chá is a viaduct of São Paulo, Brazil....
- Avenida PaulistaAvenida PaulistaPaulista Avenue is one of the most important avenues in São Paulo, Brazil...
- Mosteiro de São Bento
- Edifício Martinelli
- AnhembiAnhembiAnhembi is a Brazilian city in the state of São Paulo. The population in 2004 was 5,047. The area is 738.232 km².It also is the name of a big Convention Center in São Paulo....
- Mercado Municipal
To get a tour you will need identification. A copy of your passport if you are a foreigner. The Parapet is small and you are only allowed 5 minutes at the top but the view is spectacular.