UNIQUE EXPERIENCE OPPORTUNITY IN SÃO PAULO

This year, the iconic Martinelli Building celebrates 100 years of existence.

This building was the first skyscraper in Latin America, designed by Italian immigrant Giuseppe Martinelli.

In 1924, initially designed to have 12 floors, due to the clamor of the population, who asked for an increasingly larger building, it reached 24 floors in 1928, at which time Martinelli himself took over the architectural project and got his hands dirty, literally, as a bricklayer.

Like all innovative works, it caused a stir, having been embargoed and discussed in court, when a technical committee understood that the building would be safe, as long as it was limited to 25 floors.

However, Martinelli was not satisfied, having built 5 more floors on top of the building to be his residence, just as Gustave Eiffel did with his famous Tower, thus reaching 30 floors.

With its striking and luxurious architecture, it was home to political parties, newspapers, clubs, hotels, cinemas, shops, restaurants and even served as a space for billboards (when it still could be done, right?).

The building was completed in 1931, but it bankrupted Martinelli, which forced him to sell it to the Italian government. During World War II, with Brazil on the opposing side, all of the country's assets were confiscated, and the building then became part of the Union, with its name changed to “Edifício América”.

In 1944 it ceased to be the tallest building in the city, when the Banespa building, now known as Farol Santander, began to hold this title. Ironically, the two buildings are opposite each other, one on each side of the street.

A restoration project began in 1975, following its expropriation. The hydraulic systems and elevators were replaced and the façade was cleaned, and it was reopened in 1979.

Again, in 2008 the roof underwent renovations to its infrastructure and in 2010 it was reopened, as property of the City of São Paulo.

On the 26th floor, there is a terrace, which has a panoramic view of the city, allowing you to see that “concrete jungle” that we love so much, and unforgettable spots like Pico do Jaraguá and the antennas on Paulista, and it was open to visitors.

However, the building has been closed to visitors since 2020 (aka, “the world stopped with the pandemic”).

However, at the beginning of this year a bid was made for the concession of the terrace of the Martinelli Building (in addition to the 25th, 27th and 28th floors and store 11 on the ground floor), won by the Tokyo Group, which intends to install bars, cafes, shops, amphitheaters, a museum and hold shows and parties.

However, to do so, it will be necessary to close the building for structural reforms.

But before that, we could not let the centenary of this building, which is so important to our city, go unnoticed.

So, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Martinelli Building, the M100 project was created, which will be a temporary installation before the start of the complete renovation, which is expected to begin in the second half of this year. For 100 days, there will be artistic events, guided tours, concerts and much more.

From March 14 to 24, the M100 project hosted art, design, architecture and technology fairs.

From March 29th, it will start offering free guided tours to the public, upon online reservation, as there is a limited number of visitors, for security reasons.

In addition, there will be artistic events and presentations, promoting plural cultural encounters in the historic center of São Paulo, with different times and prices.

Free tickets for guided tours and tickets for cultural events are available on the Instagram profile @edificiomartinelli.

Therefore, this is a unique opportunity to be experienced before this important building in the city of São Paulo is closed again!

I've already secured my ticket, what about you?