Located in Higienópolis, Maranhão Street is approximately 1,100 meters long and is a kind of architecturalmuseum and paradise for lovers of old buildings. In 1893, the land belonged to Germans Martinho Bouchard and Victor Nothmann.
The subdivision planned to house São Paulo’s coffee and industrial elite was to be called “Boulevard Bouchard.” However, after becoming the first neighborhood in São Paulo to receive basic sanitation, the name was changed to Higienópolis.
The first three residences in the subdivision were the homes of Heinrich Trost and Franz Müller and the mansion of Martinho Burchard.
Main buildings
Vila Penteado
At number 88, the mansion belonged to Count Antônio Álvares Leite Penteado, an industrialist and philanthropist of the time. Vila Penteado is the first Art Nouveau building in São Paulo. Today, it houses the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism.
Cinderela Building
At number 163 is a residential building and a great symbol of palatial modernism in São Paulo. The name, which refers to a Disney princess, is deliberately playful. This is a characteristic of the works of João Artacho Jurado, who created buildings with commercial appeal without losing their personality, with bright and charming colors, like fairy tales.
Franz Müller Mansion
At number 341, the eclectic mansion catches the eye. Built in 1895, it was one of the first houses in the neighborhood. Today, it is a listed heritage site of historical interest and houses the headquarters of the Brazilian Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property.
Maranhão Street today
Today, the street remains residential and upscale, quiet and tree-lined. It attracts students because of the university, as well as researchers and curious visitors because of its old buildings.