Chanteclair Building has a history that lives in the imagination of people from Pernambuco

The iconic architectural complex that will host CASACOR Pernambuco in 2022 and 2023 has a history that lives on in the imagination of the people of Pernambuco. The Bairro do Recife – the initial area of occupation of the city – was formed on a strip of land that, over the years, was filled in and assumed its current island configuration, connected to the rest of Recife by four bridges. In 1910, the region underwent a process of change inspired by the great European metropolises , especially Paris, with the aim of modernizing the port, improving health conditions and implementing urban reform. About 2/3 of the neighborhood was demolished to open large, wide avenues – in a radial direction, starting from Marco Zero – with imposing eclectic buildings. It was in the wake of this modernization that Chanteclair emerged, nestled between Avenida Marquês de Olinda, Rua Madre de Deus and Rua Vigário Tenório, and Cais da Alfândega. The building, in an eclectic style, occupies the entire block and, in fact, brings together six independent properties, but with a single external volume. According to architect Jorge Passos , it is difficult to say exactly when the Chanteclair first appeared on the urban landscape. Images from the late 19th century do not document its existence. The first images of the building date from the 1930s. “ We believe that the building was built around 1920 , taking other nearby buildings as a reference. There is no record of who designed it. Like other buildings, the project must have come from outside and was only executed here. Its characteristics indicate that it was designed for mixed use, with the ground floor and mezzanine for commercial purposes and the other two floors for residential use. There was also a small tower where the telegraph was located,” explains the architect responsible for the renovation of the building’s façade between 2010 and 2012 . In its early years, the building housed customs offices, commercial warehouses, bars and restaurants on the lower floor and residences on the upper floors. It was around the 1940s that the Chanteclair complex underwent a change of use and, at that time, became a reference for Recife's bohemian scene. The neighborhood – especially Chanteclair – began to attract intellectuals, artists, professionals, politicians and sailors, who frequented the area's lively bars, nightclubs and cabarets. According to historian Leonardo Dantas e Silva , it was during this period that the building became known as Chanteclair , due to a nightclub that existed there and was named with that name, which in French means “Clear Corner ”. Between 1940 and 1970, the building enjoyed its heyday. It was a place where politicians, sugar mill owners, intellectuals and artists gathered, where important issues for the state were discussed, poetry was recited and music was composed and performed. Names such as Antonio Maria, Ascenso Ferreira, Nelson Gonçalves and many others passed through there. Those who frequented the Chanteclair during this period remember that it had a romantic atmosphere, the prostitutes were always well-dressed and there was a whole game of seduction in place. “ The area was romantic, many people went there just to meet people ,” highlights Jorge Passos, recounting the stories he heard from former regulars. Since it was frequented by many foreigners, there were cases of prostitutes who got married and left the area and the country, such as Maria Matulão, who married a Dutchman and, years later, returned to Recife with her children already raised. Many who did not get married had their boarding house expenses paid by factory owners. When the Queen of England passed through Recife in 1968, it is said that the sovereign saw the prostitutes at the window of the complex and thought they were there to greet and honor her, so she began to wave to them. “The prostitutes of my time, up until the 60s, were not like the ones today, no! They walk around with their butts exposed, in espadrilles or standing on the ground. They wore long dresses, good shoes and French perfume. They could only leave the boarding house after nine o'clock at night and stay until five in the morning, as determined by the police. To be a prostitute you had to have the skills!”, said Fernando Ribeiro Pereira, the last owner of the Gambrinus bar, in 2002, in an interview with journalist Sidney Motta.

Journalist Marco Polo Guimarães also attests to the flirtatious atmosphere and etiquette of Chanteclair. “It was different. There was flirting, there was dancing, and lots of people were there to enjoy the night,” he says. He recalls another unusual case involving artists. Once, the artist Ypiranga promoted an artistic act in which he placed a mannequin on the floor, covered with newspapers and a sheet, with red paint to simulate blood. The police were called and collected the “body” – a huge mess. By the end of the 1970s, the neighborhood began to decline. Over the years, the place became increasingly abandoned. The building was in very poor condition and was dangerous. The prostitutes who lived there had to start leaving. Even with the upper floors closed, Gambrinus and the other commercial establishments located on the ground floor continued to operate, albeit in a precarious manner. The restaurant only closed its doors in 2000. Architect Jorge Passos recalls that when he was an architecture student, he made a field trip to the Madre de Deus Church, located next to the Chanteclair, which was being restored after the 1971 fire. “When we got there, it was the early 1980s, we saw the prostitutes in the windows. I remember wondering why they weren’t called in to help with the process. In 1988, when I was already an architect, I was invited to carry out a restoration on the module of the complex that faces Madre de Deus Street. At that time, we invited the prostitutes who were still there to help us by stripping the frames. This work was soon halted. We would only return in the 2000s”, says Passos. It was only in 1998 that the stigmatized eclectic-style building was listed by the Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage and discussions began about a major restoration and the proposal of new uses.

It was not until 2010 that Jorge Passos and his team returned to the building and resumed the work , which included the entire external façade of the complex and its roof. The process was completed on schedule in 2012. A total of 733 integrated ornaments and 2,500 ^m2 of applied ornaments, 106 windows, 130 doors, 1,180 bolts, 2,622 hinges and 57 cast iron grilles were catalogued. The restoration was possible thanks to the initial study carried out in the early 2000s and the material saved at that time that served as the basis for the entire process. Since then, even though its façade was fully restored 10 years ago, the building has remained closed and unused throughout this period.

To hold CASACOR Pernambuco 2022 and 2023 at Chanteclair, the management of the show had the partnership of the City Hall, which integrated the reopening of Chanteclair, in the actions of Recentro - maintenance, care, and revitalization plan for the city center. “The City Hall is here to support and embrace the holding of yet another edition of CASACOR Pernambuco , understanding that this is a fundamental policy of Recentro, to activate vacant properties and attract people to revisit and relive our Historic Center,” explains Ana Paula Vilaça, Secretary to the City Hall’s Chief of Staff. “There is nothing more incredible than being present at a property of such importance, in the heart of Recife, which is the Chanteclair,” concludes Gabriela Coutinho.

Service - CASACOR Pernambuco 2023

Where: Chanteclair Building - Marquees of Olinda Avenue, 286 / Old Recife - Pernambuco When: September 22 to November 5, 2023 Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday, 3pm to 10pm. Saturdays and holidays, 12pm to 10pm. Sunday, 12pm to 9pm Digital ticket office: https://appcasacor.com.br/events/pernambuco-2023/tickets Total ticket prices : R$80.00 (full price) and R$40.00 (half price for students, teachers, people with disabilities, people with autism and people aged 60 or over with ID). Children up to 12 years old go free. Proof of ID is mandatory.