Aside from its vigorous nightlife and prosperous economy, São Paulo’s architectural sights are something that many tourists can look forward to. Scattered throughout this largest city of Brazil, these architectural landmarks manifest the city’s rich and colourful history and culture, making it among its many attractions.
Below are just some of the architectural landmarks in São Paulo:
Altino Arantes Building
Also referred to as the Banespa Building, the Altino Arantes Building is considered to be among the city’s important skyscrapers. It was built in 1939 as the home of the Bank of the State of São Paulo, or simply, Banespa. Designed by architects, Plinio Botelho do Amaral and Camargo & Mesquita, the building was Sampa’s tallest building until Edifício Itália surpassed it.
With an area of 17,951 square meters, the structure is 161.22 meters tall with 35 floors and 14 elevators.
São Paulo See Metropolitan Cathedral
A Neo-Gothic structure, the São Paulo See Metropolitan Cathedral is Sampa’s cathedral of its Roman Catholic Archdiocese. Taking four decades of construction, beginning in 1913, the cathedral is also known to be 4th of the world’s largest neo-gothic cathedrals and the city’s largest church.
With its architect, Maximilian Emil Hehl, the cathedral measures 111 meters high with a width of 46 meters; it has two flanking towers that reach 92 meters in height. Although its overall interior and exteriors are of Neo-Gothic style, its dome took inspiration from the Cathedral of Florence’s Renaissance dome.
Municipal Theatre of São Paulo
Among the city’s main landmarks, the Municipal Theatre of São Paulo is highly regarded for both its historical importance – revolutionizing arts in the city when it hosted the Week for Modern Art in 1922 – and architectural value.
Led by Ramos de Azevedo, the structure was designed by two Italian architects, namely, Domiziano Rossi and Cláudio Rossi. Now a century old, Municipal Theater of São Paulo is considered to be one of the cultural venues in South America most celebrated.
Edifício Copan
A residential building towering at 140 meters tall, the Edificio Copan is a 38-storey structure constructed in 1957. It was designed by Oscar Niemeyer, the person responsible to most of Brasilia’s famous architectural structures. In it are 1,160 apartments catering to 5000 residents. With 100 employees, its ground floor headquarters a total of 70 establishments and businesses, four restaurants, a travel agency, and a church.
These are just some of the architectural attractions in São Paulo that tourists can drop a visit and take a picture with.