São Paulo Government Now Controls Abandoned Manor House on Avenida Paulista

By Richard Mann

SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – The beautiful old mansion Joaquim Franco de Mello, located on São Paulo’s world-famous Avenida Paulista, is now public property. The State Secretariat of Culture will take over the building after 27 years of deadlock with its former owners.

The landmark building, which was abandoned and bears graffiti-defaced walls, was ceded by the heirs of the Franco de Mello family to the state government on Tuesday, June 25th. The transfer is the result of a lawsuit.

Since 1992, when the manor was declared a landmarked property, the owners complained that they were financially unable to maintain the building under all the use restrictions imposed by its landmarked status. On the other hand, the government did not want to bear the costs of maintenance either.

During this period, the property occasionally hosted art fairs, animal adoption events and also served as the headquarters for the organization of the New Year’s Eve party in Avenida Paulista.

The manor will now be administered by the Culture Secretariat, which has not yet determined what will happen to the property. The adjoining land, which has also housed a mansion, was turned into the Parque Prefeito Mário Covas.

An inspection of the manor house will be carried out, according to the secretariat, in addition to a public notice of bids that will include cultural projects for the building.

The abandoned property in the middle of Avenida Paulista arouses curiosity among pedestrians.

In 1905, when this region began to be occupied, coffee baron Joaquim Franco de Mello built this 35-bedroom manor on a 4 thousand square meter plot.

“This is a postcard of the city so I think it should be a landmark. It’s where everyone travels, people who come from other countries. The people who live in São Paulo and want to see what we have on Avenida Paulista face this abandoned mansion,” says architect Angélica Paiva.