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MOINHO FLUMINENSE
MEMORY

THE CITY AND THE PORT

  1. Preamble

  2. Arrival of the ‘angelfish’

  3. Brazilwood

  4. Whale hunting

  5. Under the sign of gold

  6. City of mills

  7. French corsairs in the bay

  8. From castle to floodplain

  9. Between four hills

  10. Valongo, market of the enslaved

  12. Little Africa

  13. Crossing the port hills

  14. Bread yes, tapioca no: Europe in the tropics

  15. Open ports

  16. New settlers arrive

  17. The Gamboa district

  18. Sweeping urban modernization

  19. Revolution in spaces and customs

  20. The Vaccine Revolt

  21. New port for a new century

  22. Twilight of the port

  23. The 1960s

  24. Treasure to be preserved

  25. The 2000s: Porto Maravilha docklands upgrade

  26. What’s so special about Gamboa?

  27. Supplementary bibliography


THE MOINHO FLUMINENSE MILL: A HISTORICAL AND INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE

  1. The Moinho Fluminense mill seen through the lenses of leading photographers in Rio de Janeiro

  2. The Moinho Fluminense mill, heritage of Rio, symbol and icon of a neighborhood

  3. Industrialization: early days

  4. Downtown Rio de Janeiro: its cultural, environmental and landscape heritage

  5. Cassava bread to wheat loaves

  6. Architecture x technology

  7. Entrepreneur and builder: concept behind the Moinho Fluminense mill

  8. The Antonio Jannuzzi, Irmão & Cia. company and its development

  9. Changes along the way

  10. Avenida Central: a new thoroughfare to success

  11. Genealogy of a Business: From Gianelli & Cia to S.A. Moinho Fluminense

  12. The Moinho Fluminense Mill: Notable Example of Industrial Architecture

  14. Updates and Expansion: 1888 – 1908

  15. Fresh Breezes Blow through Gamboa: Port, Mill, and Plaza

  16. Growth and Modernization

  17. Under New Management: Bunge Group and an Ambitious Project

  18. The invisible World

  19. The legendary Phoenix

  20. Supplementary bibliography


PHOTO-ESSAY


ABOUT
Mark

Maria Pace Chiavari


Growth and modernization


Facade of the Mill in 1913, after four additional stories were added to the original building. PERMANENT COLLECTION, SOUND AND IMAGE MUSEUM (MIS) /CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.
Facade of the Mill in 1913, after four additional stories were added to the original building. PERMANENT COLLECTION, SOUND AND IMAGE MUSEUM (MIS) /CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.

Changes ushered in by construction work on the Port and rising output encouraged the Moinho Fluminense mill to invest in renovations. As an initial step, its Board decided not to distribute dividends (with the agreement of its shareholders), instead building up capital to finance its improvement and modernization.78 With renovations beginning in 1910, the initial phase expanded the workspace, adding three stories and an attic in a section with the building was two stories high. However, it retained its original exposed brickwork style.79

A few months after the Port was inaugurated,80 work began in parallel on building a tunnel that would reconnect the mill to the sea. This link had been closed off by the route carved out for the Avenida Cais do Porto (currently Avenida Rodrigues Alves).

Excavated under this new shorefront thoroughfare and ensuring direct access to the sea and the new wharf, this underground passage streamlined the wheat transportation route. Offloaded from ships by an electric hoist installed on the wharf, wheat was conveyed through the tunnel to the mill complex, where it was stored in Silo Nº 1, newly built on the corner of this new thoroughfare and the Rua Antônio Lage, running as far as what was then Rua 12. A second-story skyway links it to the next building: Armazen Nº 1, the warehouse across the road. This stratagem allowed the conveyor belt carrying the wheat to cross the street high above ground level, running directly from Silo N° 1 to Warehouse Nº 1.

Architectural design for the facade and Warehouses I and II. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER
Warehouse 1, 1920. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.Warehouse 2, 1920. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.I. Architectural design for the facade and Warehouses I and II. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER
II.Warehouse 1, 1920. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.
III. Warehouse 2, 1920. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.

Creative architectural solutions like this new addition are reflected in the original design for the façade of Silo N° 1, today stored in the City Archives (Arquivo da Cidade). In addition to its presentation date of July 1912, this document mentions that the E. Kemnitz & Cia. construction company was in charge of this project. Although no accurate information is available on the link between this construction company with its German origins and the Moinho Fluminense mill, this choice was justified by its impressive track record and experience with reinforced concrete, dating back to 1911.81

Looking at the esthetic construction vocabulary adopted for the renovation of the Moinho Fluminense mill, the origin of the Kemnitz & Cia company suggests the influence of German historicism. This was a well-known movement at that time, with its main proponent being eclectic builder K. F. Schinkel. Facing what is today Rua Antônio Lage, the treatment of façade of Silo Nº 1 follows these principles, with the horizontal grooves of the concrete base that resembles ashlars, interrupted by a string of arched windows.

While the turret follows the same style, the undulating three-story façade of the next building reveals the bulk of the silos that it holds. This free articulation between the interior and exterior of the building hints at the arrival of a new era, fully confident of techniques and progress.

Through a comparison with previous pictures, an additional three floors may be noted throughout the building, plus the attic above the cornice in 1922. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTERSilo N° 2 under construction, 1927. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.Final construction work on Silo N° 2 in 1927. PERMANENT COLLECTION, SOUND AND IMAGE MUSEUM (MIS) /CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.Silo Nº 1 was built in 1912, with a tunnel running from the Port to the Industrial Park and an elevator for offloading from the Silos. Photo by M. Rosenfeld, 1936. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.Moinho Fluminense mill recorded in 1936. Photo by M. Rosenfeld. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.View of Silos N° 1 and N° 2 and Warehouse 2 in the 1930s. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.Widening Tunnel 1 in 1930. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.Overview of the premises in 1936. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.Silo N° 3 under construction, 1954-1955. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.Silo N° 3 under construction, 1954-1955. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.Photograph of the silos at the Moinho Fluminense mill, taken from the wharf at the Port of Rio de Janeiro, 1956. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.Construction of Silo Nº 5 in 1955 and 1956. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.Facade of the Moinho Fluminense S.A. industrial plant. Photo by Meira S.A., 1952. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.View of the warehouses in the foreground and Silo Nº 3 on the left, with a view of Rua Lajes in the background. Photo by Helmut. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.Warehouse buildings. Photo by Helmut. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.Refurbishing the facade of the Mill in 1987. Photo by Helmut. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.Renovations to the façade of the Mill, completed in 1987. Photo by Helmut. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.Refurbishing the facade of the Mill in 1987. Photo by Helmut. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER. I. Through a comparison with previous pictures, an additional three floors may be noted throughout the building, plus the attic above the cornice in 1922. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER
II. Silo N° 2 under construction, 1927. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.
III. Final construction work on Silo N° 2 in 1927. PERMANENT COLLECTION, SOUND AND IMAGE MUSEUM (MIS) /CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.
IV. Silo Nº 1 was built in 1912, with a tunnel running from the Port to the Industrial Park and an elevator for offloading from the Silos. Photo by M. Rosenfeld, 1936. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.
V. Moinho Fluminense mill recorded in 1936. Photo by M. Rosenfeld. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.
VI. View of Silos N° 1 and N° 2 and Warehouse 2 in the 1930s. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.
VII. Widening Tunnel 1 in 1930. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.
VIII. Overview of the premises in 1936. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.
IX and X. Silo N° 3 under construction, 1954-1955. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.
XI. Photograph of the silos at the Moinho Fluminense mill, taken from the wharf at the Port of Rio de Janeiro, 1956. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.
XII. Construction of Silo Nº 5 in 1955 and 1956. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.
XIII. Facade of the Moinho Fluminense S.A. industrial plant. Photo by Meira S.A., 1952. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.
XIV. View of the warehouses in the foreground and Silo Nº 3 on the left, with a view of Rua Lajes in the background. Photo by Helmut. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.
XV. Warehouse buildings. Photo by Helmut. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.
XVI, XVII and XVIII. Renovations to the façade of the Mill, completed in 1987. Photo by Helmut. PERMANENT COLLECTION, CENTRO DE MEMÓRIA BUNGE HERITAGE CENTER.

78. In addition to wheat flour, the mill produced semolina and bran, among other goods, and started to include the fabrication of doughs and pastas, in addition to bags. (HISTÓRICO DO MOINHO FLUMINENSE. São Paulo: Centro de Memória Bunge heritage center, 2011. p. 7.)
79. Arquivo da Cidade. Documento: LO/1910 esc. 29, bloco 10, dated July 21, 1910.
80. The new port of Rio de Janeiro is inaugurated on July, 20th, 1910, by President Afonso Pena. In: BENCHIMOL, Jaime Larry. Pereira Passos: um Hausmann Tropical. A renovação urbana da cidade do Rio de Janeiro no início do século XX. Rio de Janeiro: Municipal Culture, Tourism and Sports Bureau, General Documentation and Cultural Information Department, Publishing Division, 1982. p. 225.
81. DEVECCHI, Alejandra Maria. Origens da verticalização em São Paulo. In: ______. Reformar não é construir: a reabilitação de edifícios verticais. Novas formas de morar em São Paulo no século XXI. São Paulo: Senac, 2019.