Entrepreneurs connected to the Portuguese community will recover the facade of the Municipal Theater, in the Center. The partnership, announced on Thursday (May 4) by Mayor João Doria, will include improvements to the Mário de Andrade Library and places, as well as one of the attractions of Virada Cultural (Cultural Turn).
The actions, with investments of approximately R$ 2 million, have the support of the Consulate of Portugal, which made it possible for the City of São Paulo and the companies to contact each other.
The Construction Company Brazil (ECB), of the Mota-Engil Group, will donate the cleaning services on the four external facades of the Municipal Theater, which is worth about R$ 500,000. The works are due to start next week.
The cleaning will be carried out with hydroblasting with neutral detergent. The process, carried out under controlled pressure, has the purpose of removing dirt from the surface. The use of neutral detergent is essential to clean areas in which dirt is impregnated. This process will be used in the areas of coating and granite. At points with impregnated substrate, a blander will be used to remove graffiti and areas that have suffered other damages due to vandalism.
"This is the broadest partnership we have ever announced with foreign communities. The Portuguese community was the one that most positively responded in the breadth of areas of action and investment that they are making in the city of São Paulo", said Mayor João Doria.
The Municipal Theater of São Paulo, located at the Ramos de Azevedo Square, was inaugurated in 1911. The building has been a part of the State’s Historic Patrimony since 1981, when it was registered by the Councilfor the Defense of Historical, Archaeological, Artistic and Tourist Heritage (CONDEPHAAT). The last on site restoration was completed in 2011.
In the Book Circulating section of the Mario de Andrade Library, there will be an air-conditioning installation. Other improvements in the space will be carried out by the companies EDP Brasil, Teixeira Duarte and Cisa Trading, integrating the program "Biblioteca Viva", meaning lively library, launched in March and which provides for the restructuring of 54 reading equipment.
"It is a moment of great satisfaction for the Portuguese business community to collaborate with the City Hall of São Paulo and this is a demonstration of the dynamism and vitality of the Portuguese companies which are based in Brazil, generally, and in particular in São Paulo. The offered support are for the valorization and recovery of city symbols, and also for the direct or indirect union of the two countries" said the president of the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce and EDP Brazil, Miguel Setas.
The partnership with businesses will also benefit squares. The company Cisa Trading will assume responsibility for Portugal Square, in the West Zone of São Paulo. Also, the grids will be removed from a part of Armando de Sales Oliveira Square, in the region of Ibirapuera, South Zone. The space was used as parking pockets and, in a partnership with EDP Brasil, will be revitalized and reopened for public use.
"It is a community that has a strong connection with the city and will take care of points of Sao Paulo that have relations with the Portuguese, as well as the Municipal Theater, which is a great exponent of the culture of São Paulo", says the Municipal Secretary for International Relations, Julio Serson.
Virada Cultural
The partnership with the Portuguese community also brought an international attraction to Virada Cultural 2017. The Portuguese fado singer Camané will perform at the Municipal Theater during the event. Carlos Manuel Moutinho Paiva dos Santos, known by Camané, has in his curriculum eight albums and shows in France, Holland, Italy and Spain. He is considered one of the most important voices of contemporary fado.