Consolação (district of São Paulo)
Higienópolis is a a neighborhood in the central part of the city of São Paulo, Brazil. The neighborhood is largely a residential part of the city, and is characterized in containing many large apartment buildings and condominiums. It is also known for it's prominent culture institutions. The region has been populated since the 16th century, and is well known for its São Paulo Modern Architecture.
History
Originally, the region of the city which makes of today's Higienópolis was inhabited by the Jesuits, being called "Sesmaria of Pacaembu." It remained this until the beginning of the 20th century when it was converted into a neighborhood for the highest class of paulistanos. It was attractive do to its high elevation, wide open streets and an array of woody plants. Also, being far from the Luz train station, and out of the old city center, it was much quieter and cleaner, giving it the name it has today, Higienópolis, "City of Hygiene".
The neighborhood even today manages to keep some of the large homes of the past, though little remains of the vast acreage and giant mansions that once dominated the landscape. A prime example is the French mansion of the Prado family, which today is the headquarters of the University of São Paulo's College of Architecture and Urbanism, located near the northern end of Angelica Avenue.
It was in the 1950s that the neighborhood as it is today started to rise from the high class mansions of the past. Large real estate investments in the area caused the demolition of many of the large mansions and houses for which it was characterized. When this happened, the area became a melting pot of the new, modern architecture and large buildings, and the old elegant architecture of the earlier eras.
Upon entering the decades from the 1970s to the 1990's, the area was still a place where the wealthy lived to get away from the hustle and bustle of the center of the city, and still contained much of its ealier social segregation.
Higienópolis Today
The Region
Today the neighborhood is still well known for the large upper class that lives in the area. It managed to keep it's social status during the rapid growth of the city, a time when many places, such as Campos Elíseos began to shelter a broader range of social classes. Higienópolis contains an enormous amount of large apartment buildings, and very few, if any, houses with permanent residency. Some are multipurpose, but there are very few large buildings that serve any other purpose other than the residential.
There is currently a large number of Jewish and Jewish decedents living in the region, and there are a number of synagogues and Jewish schools throughout Higienópolis.
Attractions and Events
It features an array of tourist locations, local cuisine, a large upper class Shopping center, Shopping Higienópolis, and is close proximity of the Municipal Stadium (Pacembu Stadium), and the Old Center of São Paulo, as well as being near to Paulisa Avenue.
The Rotary Club of São Paulo, the largest Rotary Club in South America, is located in the Higienópolis neighborhood, and contains one of the best recognized private secondary school in the city, Colegio Rio Branco. It regularly hosts fund raisers and other events inside the school.
Buenos Aires Park is a small region of the neighborhood where one can see a large variety of tropical plants and trees, if only to get away from the noise and pollution of the streets.
Near the end of 1999, a large, high class mall, was inaugurated. Patio Higienópolis, or commonly known as Shopping Higienópolis, is located on Higienópolis Avenue, near the corner of Angelica. Its construction was that of much controversy, mainly do to worries that it would cause problems to the already congested traffic.
Culture and Education
Higienópolis, being in the central area of the São Paulo Metropolis, and the history of the area, it shelters numerous and diverse culture institutions. These include, Fundação Armando Álvares Penteado, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, the São Paulo Foundation School of Sociology and Politics, Cultura Inglesa, and English language and culture school, the French Alliance, and the Central University of Maria Antonia.
It is also center of important Jewish institutions, such as Colégio Sion, given the great concentration in the region. Colégio Rio Branco, a high class private school founded by the Rotary Club, is also a well known educative center in the region. They are both located on Higienópolis Avenue, right across from each other.
Problems
- Even though the neighborhood is quite safe to to the large amount of hired security guards often patrolling the area, due to its wealthy reputation, there are muggings that take place every so often.
- Traffic is an ongoing problem in the city, and just as much so in Higienópolis. Because the majority in the area are of a wealthier class, they tend not to use public transportation as much, and instead opt for driving their own cars, or using private taxi or driving services. The problem is compounded by there being no subway stations in the center of the area, the closest one being Marechal Deodoro, which borders the Neighborhoods Santa Celcilia and Barra Funda, and Consolação, which is located at the end of Paulista Avenue. There is currently a station under construction near Mackenzie, which will be called Higienópolis Station, though still not being close to the highest residential areas of the neighborhood.