Maria Pace Chiavari
Fresh breezes blow through Gamboa: port, mill, and plaza
During the early XX century, new interest surged in the area around the Moinho Fluminense complex. Sweeping urban renewal programs were prompted by the landfill plan underpinning the Port of Rio de Janeiro upgrade, announced in his inaugural address by President Rodrigues Alves, as he took office in 1902. The strip of land where the wharf was to be built ran from the Navy Arsenal to the Canal do Mangue channel, including the shoreline of the mill’s premises.67 Covering 170 hectares, this new shoreline was reshaped by landfill excavated from the Morro do Senado hill, providing the land where the Gamboa Docks were to be built.68 Enhancing the prestige of the Moinho Fluminense brand and extending its infrastructure, this project also provided useful land for future expansion, prompted by the longer distance between the complex and the sea.69
Coping with these marshy areas dates back to the construction of the Moinho Fluminense complex, when its neighbors were a huge tenement and the Praça da Harmonia plaza.
Since the XVII century, Gamboa has always been a bustling area, thanks to its docklands and plaza. Back then, transatlantic port operations crossed paths with ships carrying slaves from Africa, then replaced by waves of immigrant workers. The natural vocation of this area was acknowledged only when Rio de Janeiro became the colonial capital, the hub of Portugal’s Viceroyalty. From then on, urbanization processes spread steadily throughout the region. As it became integrated with the city, this plaza was initially known as the Largo da Saúde square, named after the hill of the same name that was topped by the Nossa Senhora da Saúde Church.
As marshy areas were eliminated through landfills and old estates were split into urban lots, the old square expanded into the Praça da Harmonia plaza. Located close to the sea and trading activities related to transporting coffee, in 1855, this square was selected to house the city’s second market: the Mercado da Harmonia. The first municipal market was located a few streets away in the Candelária square.
This new market served as an anchor that shaped its urban surroundings, with a bucolic air that invited nearby residents to stroll and meet here, as recalled by author Machado de Assis. However, this atmosphere deteriorated, reflected in the fact that squatters took over a section of the market. Although the last remaining croplands had been turning into residential areas since the mid-XIX century, massive inflows of people seeking low-cost housing changed the appearance of this district. Referring to the early XX century, Sergio Lamarão noted that “the construction of the new Port was the springboard for a sweeping urban renewal operation.” However, he then observed that “construction work accounted for a certain spatial specialization within the area.” 70
Tearing down shacks and mansions like, this operation led to the redistribution of lots. Similar to the urban renewal project that sliced through the narrow alleys of downtown Rio, poor families forced out of their homes sought refuge in the Saúde, e Gamboa and Santo Cristo neighborhoods.71
Condemned as a “tenement endangering public health” by City Hall under Mayor Barata Ribeiro (1891-1893), the Mercado da Harmonia market was earmarked for demolition.72 Completely cleared by 1990, its removal did not affect the social importance built up during these bustling years by the Praça da Harmonia plaza, as a significant element in the history of this area. To the contrary, it became even more popular as a place of exchange among different classes of the population, who settled in this area over time.
This characteristic became very clear during the Vaccine Revolt in 1904, protesting against the decree that made smallpox inoculation mandatory. Unhappy with harsh working and living conditions, the populace – particularly shipyard workers and stevedores from the Port area – raised barricades and dug trenches, turning this area into their headquarters. Noteworthy among the rebels was docker Horácio José da Silva, who was also an expert in Brazil’s own balletic martial art – capoeira – under the name of Prata Preta, meaning Black Silver. This was the inspiration behind the famous carnival group today known as Cordão da Prata Preta.73
Sheltering in the ruins of the old market, the rioters stood their ground for days, until they were overrun by federal troops. Although the Moinho Fluminense mill was not directly involved in this historical event as an active player, it was certainly a front-row spectator, as the insurgents raised barricades at its gates.
Years earlier, this plaza was also the setting for the Fleet Revolt, with shots fired against the Moinho Fluminense complex. A dialog was established between players and spectators that continues through time.
While the Brazilian government was investing in the new Port facilities, the rest of the city was being replanned by Mayor Pereira Passos.
To do so, the criteria selected for restructuring the nation’s capital had to adapt to the demands of the capitalist production system, responding to the needs of a modern economy. This steered the solutions adopted for the old market buildings in the Praça da Harmonia,74 Candelária75 and Glória that failed to meet these new standards, in terms of hygiene, appearance, and the transportation of goods.76
It is interesting to note the design of the façade of Mercado Nº 1, the first market in the Praça da Harmonia plaza, designed by Adolpho Moraes de los Rios in 1903. Assigning this project to such a renowned architect underscores the important role played by this plaza for the Docklands and the entire city.77
II. Praça da Harmonia square, 1913. Photo by Augusto Malta. PERMANENT COLLECTION, SOUND AND IMAGE MUSEUM (MIS) /CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.
The feasibility of this construction was undermined by the project building the Mercado Municipal market in the Praça XV plaza – still today an outstanding example of a modern wrought-iron structure. Under the aegis of the Pereira Passos restructuring project and its directives focused on reintegrating the Docklands with downtown areas, in 1911 Mayor Barata Ribeiro decided to upgrade the old market area, turning it into a modern urbanized plaza with a bandstand and formal French gardens.
Perhaps this remodeling process was underpinned by the intention of physically eliminating any relics linking the square to its past as a place of resistance. This possibility is confirmed by the fact that the Navy Barracks were built around the renovated plaza, subsequently making way for the 5th Military Police Battalion. Under Brazil’s military dictatorship, the glorious and historic name of this plaza was changed to Praça Coronel Assunção, although the locals still today use its old name: Praça da Harmonia.
As the flour mill was celebrating its centennial in in 1987, another upgrade project focused on this plaza, this time at the initiative of the Moinho Fluminense board, perhaps acknowledging a long and friendly neighborhood connection. With its modern Light Rail Vehicle (LRV) stations, this old plaza today is a battleground, where street dwellers squatting in its bandstand clash with locals eager to stroll and jog here, while oldsters play checkers, youngsters party, and Carnival merrymakers parade to a samba beat.
Its future is still hazy, although new prospects may arise through the restructuring strategy pursued for the Docklands. These are also linked to initiatives undertaken by the Moinho Fluminense flour mill, whose connections with its surroundings are documented in countless photographs that seem to portray a dialog between its imposing façade and its old neighborhood.
III. View of the Industrial Park near the Port, including the Mill and the Praça da Harmonia square in 1952. Photo by Carlos Botelho. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.