Rosewood Book - São Paulo Rosewood Book ENG_2018_03 | Page 12
ROSEWOOD SÃO PAULO
The Italian Count Francesco Matarazzo, one of the
most prominent immigrating businessmen, praised
for the breadth and significance of his enterprises,
inaugurated his hospital to care for the vast Italian
community who, with other immigrants, were building
what would become the largest and most lively
cultural capital in Latin America: São Paulo. The
Umberto Hospital architectural complex, founded in
1904, mirrored the aspirations of the elite at the time,
infusing a European style and adapting it to local
trends and needs.
The different buildings that have risen over the years
forming the Matarazzo complex are adjoined by
squares and tree-lined paths connecting pavilions.
This small city, growing in the heart of a much larger
one, became a landmark in the area. Between 1944
and 1993, the city welcomed more than 500,000
newborns in its maternity, who in turn, grew up to
be the 'Paulistanos' who contributed to the culture
of São Paulo that we know today. This legacy of
Brazilian architecture, inspired by Tuscan designs,
has been dormant for years, until now. Groupe Allard
will waken and recover Matarazzo in all of its glory.