Maria Pace Chiavari
Under new management: Bunge Group and an ambitious project
The acquisition of the Moinho Fluminense mill by the Bunge Group in 1914 paved the way for major innovations. The first was to improve the efficiency of the mill operations. Its new Board planned significant investments in modern machinery, and consequently the modernization and expansion of the existing buildings. These massive efforts were publicly acknowledged for the first time in 1922, at the International Exposition celebrating the centennial of Brazil’s Independence from colonial rule.
The display of its results achieved at the national level brought the Moinho Fluminense flour mill a prize and a gold medal.82
Looking at the construction process that expanded the structures, an examination of the many designs offers an overview of the series of works that resulted in the current appearance of this complex. As it is hard to identify the signatures of the designers are many of these documents, it was surprising to find the name of Leopoldo Gianelli (among other signatures) on a design related to the construction of the new mill, presented in 1926.83 This confirms that Carlos Gianelli’s brother did in fact retain his position as the Managing Director of the S.A. Moinho Fluminense company until his death in 1927.84
Noteworthy among the many drawings is a prospectus with a sequence showing the façades of Silo Nº 1 and Warehouses N° 1 and N° 2.
Characteristic of this section of the Moinho Fluminense mill is the alternation between spaces filled with new buildings and gaps where they are separated by streets. Instead of a break between these two elements, there is instead a dialog linked by a string of skyways. Enriched by their adornments, these construction elements endow this industrial complex with lightness and elegance. Prompting much interest among the public, these skybridges became landmarks for the mill. It should be recalled that these skyways – used to move directly from one building to another at a certain height – were not prompted by theatrical design, but were rather responses to industrial requirements. At the Moinho Fluminense complex, these skyways form streamlined links between the buildings, so the conveyor belts can carry wheat faster and more directly from the silos to the mills. Using an esthetic concept as a solution for technical issues is an approach that lies at the heart of industrial heritage assets.
This modernization process included the introduction of new machines, such as Mill Nº 2, and the direct sales department.
As a result, the system for handling sales through brokers and middlemen (originally established by the Gianelli brothers) fell into disuse.
New activities required further investments, in advertising as well as more modern facilities, with the Moinho Fluminense complex expanding to an extent that can be appreciated only in aerial photographs.
Particularly noteworthy is the innovative design Silo Nº 3, built in 1954 – 1955. Exceptionally tall for its times, it is topped by huge iron lettering that is still today an eye-catching feature of the Rio Docklands.
During the 1970s, the Moinho Fluminense mill benefited from these massive investments. Becoming a leading player in the food and milling sectors, it rated as the largest producer in the entire Southern Hemisphere.85 This brilliant economic performance was paralleled during the 1980s through acknowledgement of its architectural, artistic and cultural value by the Rio de Janeiro Municipal General Cultural Heritage Department. On August 23, 1986, the buildings and skyways forming the Moinho Fluminense complex at Rua Sacadura Cabral 290 and Rua Antônio Lage were formally listed as heritage assets.
In response to this official inclusion in the city’s listed heritage, in 1987 – when the Moinho Fluminense mill celebrated its centennial – its Board assigned significant investments to the rehabilitation of the old Praça da Harmonia plaza.86 In the same civic spirit, it also undertook the renovation of its original façade in 2011, under the aegis of the Porto Maravilha Docklands revitalization program