Founded in March 1846, the Caetano de Campos Institute of Education is the oldest educational institution still in operation in São Paulo. It is also one of the first teacher training colleges in São Paulo, institutions dedicated to the training of teachers.
Since the late 19th century, it has also maintained an elementaryschool and a secondary school (junior high/high school) open to children and young people in general. Teachers trained there even conducted internships and tested teaching methods with the students.
Initially, it was called the Capital Normal School and operated in a building attached to the old Sé Cathedral in downtown. However, decades later, it moved to its own building on Praça da República. The current name honors the former director, Antônio Caetano de Campos, who died before the inauguration.
The building’s design and construction were carried out by the renowned architect Ramos de Azevedo and his firm. Inaugurated on August 2, 1894, the new building was a symbol of republican education in São Paulo.
It features an eclectic style with a predominantly neoclassical design and approximately 225 windows scattered throughout the wings. In 1935, it underwent renovations to add a third floor.
The distinguished alumni of the Caetano de Campos Institute of Education
In addition to generations of teachers, it also produced intellectual “Caetanistas , ” doctors, and lawyers connected to the school’s tradition and academic prestige .
Among them were the modernist writer Mário de Andrade and the fellow modernist writer and former friend of Mário, Oswald de Andrade. The poet, chronicler, and educator Cecília Meireles. Dorina Nowill, an educator and activist for the inclusion of the visually impaired, was one of the first blind students in the school’s regular program. The Italian-Brazilian industrialist Francisco Matarazzo.
Among its alumni are André Franco Montoro, a jurist andformer governor of São Paulo, pianist Guiomar Novaes, and Emerson Fittipaldi. The two-time Formula 1 world champion attended the school during his childhood.
The building today
With the Institute of Education relocated to other addresses in 1978, in 2003 it began housing the São Paulo State Department of Education. There were even plans to demolish the building in 1970 due to construction work on the República subway station. However, following pressure from former students and teachers, CONDEPHAAT designated the property as a heritage site for preservation.
Currently, it is not possible to visit the interior of the building because it serves as an administrative office. The remaininghistorical collection , such as furniture, books, and documents, is under the responsibility of the Memory and Historical Collection Center affiliated with the Secretariat.
The new campuses
Changing addresses once again, the school was restructured into two campuses located in Aclimação and at Praça Roosevelt. Both were named the Caetano de Campos State School.
Today, the schools remain public, offering basic education and preserving the memory and tradition of the former educational institute, although they have been adapted to the state school system.
