Galeria do Rock

 

escalators galore at Galeria do Rock. 

Grandes Galerias later known as Galeria do Rock was built at Avenida São João in 1963. next to Cine Art-Palácio. It had 5 floors and one could walk through it and get to rua 24 de Maio where one could find record-shops and department stores. For unknown reasons Grandes Galerias didn't 'catch up' and remained half-empty for more than 15 years. Then, when the downtown area had already descended into decay it gallery 'took off' and now its shop-spaces are filled to capacity. It panders to young Blacks, punks and rock'n'rollers and other tribes.

aerial view of Galeria do Rock taken by a drone. 

Trio Cristal, a musical group from Paraguay who made São Paulo their home pose for a photo inside Grandes Galerias which had just opened in 1963.

Galeria do Rock in the mid-1970s. 

looking out into Largo do Paisandú.

Grandes Galerias was projected by Alfredo Mathias, the same architect who designed Shopping Center Iguatemi, São Paulo's very first shopping mall.

VILA MADALENA

 

Rua Fradique Coutinho where one can see a tram car passing by Rua Aspicuelta. At the corner one can see a pizza place and restaurant. There is a further tram car descending Fradique Coutinho next to Rua Wizard in the back. This must be the late 1950s.

Birdseye view of a section of Vila Madalena comprising of the corner of rua Aspicuelta and rua Harmonia on the left, rua Madalena & rua Faisão (a one-block street ending at rua Girassol), rua Patizal (another one-block-street where Amândio, a class-mate of my high-school's 2nd year in 1963, used to live) and rua Wizard up to rua Fidalga. 

We moved to rua Simpatia which is the street that byforks from rua Aspicuelta at the corner of rua Harmonia...on 16 December 1960. We lived there until June 1969. 

Looking closely to this photograph I may surmise it was taken in the early 1950s if not late 1940s for when we moved in there were houses already built in the corners of Aspicuelta-Simpatia with Harmonia...and also in the corner of Madalena-Faisão with Harmonia. 

Rua Harmonia's block between Aspicuelta and Madalena was the steepest possible block I had ever seen until I visited San Francisco, California in 1972. As those streets were not yet paved when this photo was taken one can clearly see the erosion caused by the rain in the before-mentioned corner. 

Praça Ramos de Azevedo-Vila Madalena tram-car #28 would run on rua Fradique Coutinho, turn right at rua Aspicuelta, climb up one block and turn right again at rua Fidalga where it would run past rua Wizard and turn left at rua Purpurina where it made its final stop at the middle of the block just in front of a baker's shop.

Tram #28 Vila Madalena-Praça Ramos de Azevedo starts out from Rua Purpurina to turn right on Rua Fradique Coutinho in a photo taken in 1954. 

Rua Xavier de Toledo in 1961; see photos of Martha Rocha, Yuri Gagarin on the cover of Fatos & Fotos and Jeff Chandler hanging from the newsstand... 

A proud motor-man (motorneiro) poses in front of tram-car #28 Vila Madalena at its initial stop on Rua Xavier de Toledo. By the looks of cars it may be 1964, probably the last day tram-cars circulated in São Paulo. 

Rua Fradique Coutinho between rua Cardeal Arcoverde & rua Ignácio Pereira da Rocha; photo taken in 1955 by a relative of Décio Monteiro, who posted at FB. 

Angelo Moscato poses for a photo at Rua Girassol in the late 50s. Cemitério São Paulo's wall's in the background. The small bridge rail on the left was over a rivulet that used to flood the whole area during the summer rains...

A Catholic procession coming through Rua Girassol, in 1951. heading to Santa Madalena Church.

Somewhere in Vila Madalena in some early times. It's hard to say where it could be... 

Even though Calvary Church (Igreja do Calvário) - here in 1953 - next to Cemitério São Paulo, doesn't necessarily qualify as 'Vila Madalena', it is part of the same 'combo' in my mind...so here's honorary Vila Madalena.  

SANTO AMARO tram cars

 

going all the way to Santo Amaro the farthest place a tram car could reach in the city of Sao Paulo.

a special corridor with steel rails existed from Vila Clementino all the way to Santo Amaro...

mid-1940s... as Brooklyn was still spelt with a Y...

Linha Santo Amaro, estação Avenida Adolfo Pinheiro em 1916. Até 1932, Santo Amaro era um município independente de São Paulo. A linha São Paulo a Santo Amaro foi inaugurada em 1913. O último bonde a circular por São Paulo foi o dessa linha, em 27 Março 1968. (Rodolfo Peregrino). Do livro: Bonde Saudoso Paulistano, Fernando Portela, Editora Terceiro Nome.

Lazaro João Cardoso wrote in Facebook:  Fui morar em SP em 1964, propriamente em Santo Amaro, na antiga rua General Carneiro,119, rua do Cinemar. Tomei muitas vezes esse bonde que fazia a linha Santo Amaro-Praça João Mendes. O ponto inicial era no Largo São Sebastião; descendo a Alameda Santo Amaro, tinha o ponto no Largo 13 de Maio, perto da Padaria 13, seguia na Av. Adolfo Pinheiro, passando no fundo do Clube Banespa, Brooklin até Praça João Mendes.

27 March 1968 - the last tram cars still in existence in São Paulo leave Instituto Biológico's station in Vila Clementino bound to Santo Amaro ending a story which started in 1913. This particular line was the last one in operation since 95% of the net of rails and cars had been terminated four years before in 1964.