Prestes Maia (building)

For the former mayor of São Paulo, see Francisco Prestes Maia.

The Prestes Maia building, or sometimes simply Prestes Maia (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpɾɛstʃiz ˈmaj.jɐ]), is believed to be the largest squatted highrise building in South America, with an estimated 2000 inhabitants.[1] The complex is made up of two tower blocks, Bloco A and Bloco B, the latter of which has the address Avenida Prestes Maia, 911 near Luz Station in downtown São Paulo. Businessman Jorge Nacle Hamuche purchased the building at auction in 1993 and co-owns it with his business partner, Eduardo Amorim. The building remains registered to the previous owner, the bankrupt National Cloth Company (Companhia Nacional de Tecidos in Portuguese), where Hamuche has been employed.[2]

468 families, united through the Downtown Roofless Movement (Movimento Sem Teto do Centro or MSTC) of São Paulo,[3] have lived in the 22-storey highrise since 2002.[4]

The building had been closed and left in a rundown condition for years, serving as shelter for rats and cockroaches. The new residents cleaned out tons of rubbish and litter, organized it, expelled drugs and other criminal bosses. It contained a free library, workshops, and hosted autonomous educational, social and other cultural activities. In the last few years of the squat it was a laboratory of experiments in organizing a real human renewal of downtown São Paulo.

The building was to be returned to its legal owner, who in the previous 15 years had accumulated a debt in municipal taxes of some 5.5 million reais (approximately US$2.2 million or 1.4 million euros), which is close to the amount the building is worth (near R$7 million).

Occupation timeline

Demonstration against the eviction

The residents succeeded in gaining some concessions for relocation from the government, such as financial aid for rental and credit plans.

A gradual removal of the residents to other locations in downtown São Paulo was undertaken, with varying degrees of government promises and assistance, and since July 2007 the building has been closed.

Films

See also

References

  1. "Tower of Babel (with English subtitles)". Brazilian: YouTube/UFSC/Felipe Seffrin. 2007. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
  2. Edifícios Abandonados (1 June 2011). "Prestes Maia, 911". Retrieved 22 March 2014.
  3. Phillips, Tom (23 January 2006). "Brazil's roofless reclaim the cities". The Guardian.
  4. "Prestes Maia: largest urban area squat in South America faces imminent eviction". Indybay. 16 February 2007.
  5. Edifícios Abandonados (1 June 2011). "Prestes Maia, 911". Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  6. Brito, Gisele (13 October 2013). "Ministério Público pede saída imediata de moradores da ocupação Prestes Maia, em SP". Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  7. "Justiça determina desocupação do edifício Prestes Maia". 14 April 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  8. "Prestes Maia – Freiheit in Beton". gebrueder beetz filmproduktion. Retrieved 15 December 2013.

Coordinates: 23°32′6.26″S 46°38′1.32″W / 23.5350722°S 46.6337000°W / -23.5350722; -46.6337000

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