Casa das Caldeiras, Cultural center in Água Branca district, São Paulo, Brazil.
Casa das Caldeiras is a cultural center housed in a former industrial power plant in the Água Branca district of São Paulo. The building features three massive brick chimneys and high ceilings with upper windows, retaining the raw character of its manufacturing past.
The plant was built in the 1920s to supply power to the Matarazzo Industries complex, which operated the largest industrial facility in Latin America during the 1930s. The site received heritage protection in 1986 and gradually transitioned into a cultural venue.
The name Casa das Caldeiras refers to the boilers that once generated power for the Matarazzo complex. Since the factories closed, the building has hosted cultural and social events, and it now operates as a center for independent productions, with its space dedicated to culture and art.
The complex stood near two railway lines, the São Paulo Railway and the E. F. Sorocabana, which carried raw materials in and finished goods out; the old tracks trace the site's industrial layout. The grounds covered about 113,000 m², with roughly 95,000 m² built up across some 20 buildings, so allow time to walk between structures.
The three brick chimneys rise more than 30 metres, and the plant was built to power a complex of over 320 factories spread across São Paulo and São Caetano do Sul. The site was listed by CONDEPHAAT in 1986 and restored in 1999.
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