Maria Pace Chiavari
Downtown Rio de Janeiro: Its cultural, environmental and landscape heritage
Recollections of the urban neighborhood surrounding the Moinho Fluminense flour mill convey an impression of a pleasant place. This feeling is reflected in views taken by photographers, such as Marc Ferrez in Prainha e Saúde, and descriptions by writers like Machado de Assis. In his Quincas Borba (a novel published in 1891), this author presented his impressions of the area between the Gamboa and Saúde districts through the eyes of one of his characters: Rubião: "I took a long walk and yes sir, it’s beautiful here, it’s interesting (…), different from other neighborhoods. I like that. I must come here more often."5
However, it was not until the 1980s and the administration headed by Mayor Marcelo Alencar that this value was acknowledged, and Rio’s Downtown area was finally listed as a historic heritage site.
Thanks to the Culture Corridor project, this almost derelict heritage site was rescued from ruin, with its value acknowledged through Law Nº 506, promulgated on January 17, 1984. Two years later, this Act was extended to cover a new environmental protection area that encompassed the Saúde, Gamboa and Santo Cristo neighborhoods, through the Projeto SaGaS (Saúde, Gamboa, Santo Cristo) protection project implemented by City Hall in 1985. Built in the Gamboa district, the Moinho Fluminense complex was included in these benefits. In addition to its location, the value of the industrial architecture characteristic of the older parts of this flour mill allowed its inclusion in the cultural and industrial heritage of Rio de Janeiro. This endows the entire complex with additional historical, architectural, technological, scientific and social value.6
Today, visitors admiring the massive buildings that form the Moinho Fluminense mill (which is no longer in operation) are impressed by their size and interconnections. The Industrial Heritage Site title awarded to this architectural complex draws attention to its esthetic dimension as well. This means that a gaze seeking beauty in this mill finds it in decorative details and its façades, featuring different materials and architectural styles, the choice of structural elements and the relationships between architectural lines and volumes created through a succession of buildings sized to differing scales.
A construal of the current cluster of buildings allows its genealogy to be reconstructed. The shapes formed by this complex during each of its renovations disclose characteristics that are specific to each era. This arduous task of reconstitution is made easier by valuable help from countless textual and iconographic documents found in many different archives. They include the respective architectural designs and countless photographs that portray the development of these premises, identifying the codes of the industrial aesthetic in place at the time, as well as the architectural styles used as references.
In addition to its historical and emblematic value as a monument complex, the Moinho Fluminense mill helps define the cultural (and not only aesthetic) identity of this part of the city, thanks to its location. These favorable conditions are promising for its inclusion in the urban upgrade planned for the historic area around the Port of Rio de Janeiro.