Uses of memory and patrimony: A synthesis of the patrimonial landmarking process of Luz neighborhood, downtown São Paulo

Abstract

The article investigates the patrimonial trajectory of the neighborhood of Luz, center of São Paulo, the agencies involved (CONDEPHAAT and SPHAN or IPHAN, depending on the moment evaluated), applied patrimonial practice and sustained memories. The region maintained a large collection of monumental buildings and public buildings even in the face of the process of degradation and decay that it suffered from 1960. The preservation of its memory reflected an urban landscape based on two episodes of the history of São Paulo and its urban growth . One between the end of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth century when the main road that connected to the center was the "Guaré road" or "Guarapé" - that region was home to military and religious institutions. And another at the end of the 19th century, when the enrichment generated by coffee production led to the establishment of railway lines in the region wich enabled the arrival of the coffee elite. Recognizing the plots that encompass the agents responsible for the selection and elaboration of cultural heritage, this article proposes to understand it as a place of conflict, and the micro and macro aspects of the politics and practice of preservation in that territory can be used for reflection of a larger process, at the state or national level. As we will see during the analysis of the national heritage landmarking documents of the region of Luz, the preservation took place through the monumental building blocks and were based on the criteria of the history of architecture, referring to the figure of Ramos de Azevedo - a great architect who promoted the eclectic style in the city - and in the memory of the railroads.