Matarazzo Building, Municipal administrative building in Sé District, São Paulo, Brazil
The Matarazzo Building is a municipal administrative seat in Sé District with 14 floors and a landscaped rooftop garden. The structure of pale stone follows a symmetrical facade with regularly placed windows and a central entrance portal.
Architect Marcello Piacentini designed the structure in 1939 as headquarters for Matarazzo Industries, which operated there until 1972. Banespa Bank later used the premises before the municipal government moved in during 2004.
The rooftop pond still holds carp that have lived there for decades, swimming in water filtered by the garden above. Visitors walking through the upper terrace notice how this green space creates a quiet retreat in the middle of downtown government offices.
Free guided tours start Tuesday through Friday at 14:30 and 16:30, and on weekends at 10:30 and 16:30. Visitors must arrive one hour before the session begins and register at the reception desk.
The structure skips the 13th floor because of a superstition from the 1930s, which was common practice in Brazil at the time. The entrance hall displays a large mosaic map showing historical state boundaries, including an undivided Mato Grosso.
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