The Ely Building is a historic construction located in the Brazilian city of

Porto Alegre Porto Alegre (, ; , ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian Federative units of Brazil, state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of roughly 1.4 million inhabitants (2022) makes it the List of largest cities in Brazil, 11th-most p ...

, capital of

Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, ; ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative units of Brazil#List, fifth-most populous state and the List of Brazilian s ...

, considered a

cultural heritage Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by socie ...

of the city. The building, located at 283 Conceição Street, next to the

bus station A bus station, bus depot, or bus interchange is a structure where city buses or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. A bus station is larger than a bus stop, which is usually simply a place on the roadside, where buses can st ...

, was designed and erected between 1922 and 1923 by the German-Brazilian architect Theodor Wiederspahn, to be a store of the merchant Nicolau Ely, who became rich in the fabric trade. Originally, Ely kept his business on the first floor and rented out the upper floors for offices. Built in

masonry Masonry is the craft of building a structure with brick, stone, or similar material, including mortar plastering which are often laid in, bound, and pasted together by mortar (masonry), mortar. The term ''masonry'' can also refer to the buildin ...

in an

eclectic style Eclecticism is a kind of mixed style in the fine arts: "the borrowing of a variety of styles from different sources and combining them" . Significantly, Eclecticism hardly ever constituted a specific style in art: it is characterized by the fact t ...

of Germanic inspiration, with

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

and

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

elements, the building has about , spread over four floors, and of facade, decorated with tall and narrow windows with delicate frames,

balustrades A baluster () is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its c ...

domes A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

, ornaments, statuary and wrought iron railings, highlighting a

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

with

volutes A volute is a spiral, scroll-like ornament that forms the basis of the Ionic order, found in the Capital (architecture), capital of the Ionic column. It was later incorporated into Corinthian order and Composite order, Composite column capitals. ...

and a statue of Mercury over the entrance, created by Alfredo Staege. It currently houses the downtown branch of Tumelero, a chain of construction materials stores. Despite being quite well preserved, the building has suffered aggressive interventions in its surroundings in recent years, such as the construction of a viaduct at a short distance, which hides part of the facade. Over the years it has undergone several repairs, and in 2012 a revitalization was carried out. Sergius Gonzaga, municipal secretary for culture, explained the initiative by saying that "this is a contribution to the soul of the city". Luiz Antonio de Assis Brasil, state secretary for culture, said that "the work has an aesthetic value for the collective memory of Porto Alegre". For historian and architect Arnoldo Doberstein, the building is particularly important for the history of architecture in Porto Alegre. According to Poltosi & Roman, from the Memory Center of the Council of Architecture and Urbanism of Rio Grande do Sul, its variety of elements lends dynamism to its extensive facade and its aesthetic qualities place it as "one of the most outstanding examples of eclectic architecture in Porto Alegre".

References

{{coord, -30.02608, -51.21986, format=dms, type:landmark_region:BR, display=title Heritage sites in Brazil 1923 establishments in Brazil Porto Alegre Rio Grande do Sul Architecture in Brazil

See also

References