Old headquarters of Clube Curitibano

The picture taken on the night of August 21st from the corner of Tobias de Macedo and John M.Garcez, shows the Generoso Marques Square and at the center of the photo and in the background, a bright building in the corner of Rio Branco and Flower Streets. This is an important building for the history of Curitiba. Inspired by the modernist movement, it was built where a mansion housed the Curitibano Club (the most important club of Curitiba). Property of the club, construction started in 1947 and completed in 1950. The club occupied the space until 1968 when it was moved to it current location at Agua Verde District. This building was an important landmark to all residents and tourists and was considered to be one of the most luxurious address in Curitiba.
The degradation engulfed the building in the 90s. In 2005 the building was bought by the J. Malucelli Group. The design and restoration of the building took two years to materialize and it was conducted in partnership with UFPR, professionals and students of engineering and architecture. 

The Modern Architecture of Curitiba - Rubens Meister

Rubens Meister’s Office spread the Modern Movement in Curitiba, from the project of the Guaira Theater, until the 1960s, when the course in Architecture and Urbanism of the UFPR was opened. Rubens Meister was born in Botucatu, state of Sao Paulo on 21 January 1922, but was raised in Curitiba. Once graduated in Civil Engineering at UFPR. He became a professor in civil engineering at the UFPR right after his graduation (1947), being responsible for introducing the ideals of modern architecture for a generation of engineers. He presided in 1956 the committee responsible for creating the Department of Architecture and Urbanism at UFPR. Many other important Rubens Meister’s projects than those in the photos below are part of the landscape in Curitiba. Rubens Meister died on 29 June 2009.



Teatro Guaira (1948).
In the design of the Teatro Guaira, the access route from the entrance at street level to the auditorium on the second floor is a resource used by the Beaux Arts academies also inherited by Le Corbusier and Oscar Niemeyer. Meister developed a self-taught method of acoustics and theater projects based on foreign literature. The small auditorium of 504 seats, the "Guairinha", was inaugurated in 1954 and the large auditorium for 2174 spectators, was inaugurated in 1974.


Reitoria Auditoriums of UFPR University (1956).
The auditorium of the Central Office of UFPR with 700 seats, has a peculiar spatial arrangement: the main access is placed at the bottom of the audience. The large glasses of the hall allow a clear view of the Rua XV de Novembro.


Centro Politécnico da UFPR (1956).
The Centro Politécnico of the UFPR was Meister’s great project. It was inspired by the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. The set of buildings adopted similar proposal for implementation of the blocks in the spirit of functionalism. The main administration building with five floors stands out.

The Modern Architecture of Curitiba - Paulo Romeu da Costa

Paulo Romeu da Costa was born in Curitiba on January, 24th, 1924. Romeu was graduated in Civil Engineering at UFPR University in 1948. He supplemented his knowledge in architecture with literature and practice. He has contributed to spread the ideas of the Modern Movement in Curitiba. He also worked as a teacher at UFPR University at the Architecture and Civil Engineering courses. He had a predilection for Le Corbusier, whose architecture he thought best suited to Brazilian conditions of climate and technology. He worked in the Department of Transportation and Public Works of Paraná.


Public Library of Paraná (1951).
Perfectly placed in the urban landscape in Curitiba, the Parana Public Library can be considered the main work of Romeo da Costa. It expresses the transition and the synthesis of the Classic Rationalism with the concepts of the Modern Movement. For the project, Romeo Coast traveled to Rio de Janeiro to improve his knowledge with the assistance of competent librarians. The project adopts solutions in tune with the concepts of the Modern Movement, with emphasis on horizontal lines and a facade dominated by brises. There were created two lateral appendages to accommodate a children's library and an exhibition space. The execution time, eight months, was a record and it was opened on December 19th, 1954.


Banco Comercial do Paraná Building (1953).
After the project of the Banco Comercial do Parana Building, Romeu da Costa "got over" the Art-Deco and "assumed" the principles of the Modern Movement. The mandatory implementation of covered galleries at Rua XV with the intention to increase the area of the sidewalk, suggested the stilts solution proposed for this building of apparent pillars and modulated window frames executed in metal. The use of brises complements the absorption of "Le Corbusier" principles.


Synagogue Francisco Frischmann (1959).
The Jewish community invited Romeo Coast to project the Francisco Frischmann Synagogue. The terrain, despite its small size, is situated at a particular urban situation: between two streets, with a third face to a small square. The building uses the straight lines of the "miesiano” functionalism and there are brises installed on the eastern side facing the square.

The Modern Architecture of Curitiba - Leo Linzmeyer

Gerhard Leo Linzmeyer was born in Curitiba on September 7th, 1928. During his childhood, he studied drawing and painting with Andersen Thorstein, son of the painter Alfred Andersen. After his graduation in engineering at UFPR, Linzmeyer worked in the office of Rubens Meister, established at the construction site of the Teatro Guaira. Linzmeyer studied architecture at the University of Karlsruhe in southern Germany in 1956 and 1957. He worked as the director of the Department of Water and Sewage of Paraná State, as Secretary of State for Roads and Public Works (1975 and 1979) and Coordinator of COMEC (1979). He died in Curitiba in 1999.


Nelson Imthon Bueno House (1958).
Due to the use of the sloping ground proposed by Linzmeyer his project won the owner’s preference among other designers. The urban lot, which width is much greater than its depth, led to a solution that almost stuck in the house to the neighbor lots, giving linearity to the solution.


Osmar Seyler de Camargo (1963).
In this project, Linzmeyer also took advantage of the sloping ground to use the lower floor to the garage and living spaces, taking advantage of the north face of the land and the existing natural forest.


Edgar Barbosa Ribas House (1967).
As a gazebo, the house is located at the higher point of the lot. The contrast between concrete eaves and the large frames of wood is characteristic of the aesthetics of Leo Linzmeyer’s architecture.

The Modern Architecture of Curitiba - Jaime Wassermann

Jaime Wasserman was the most important condominiums developer in the Paraná between 1967 and 1981, and the condominiums was one of the main topics of the Modern Movement. Born in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1924, his family emigrated to Brazil, settling in Curitiba when he was five years old. Jaime graduated in Civil Engineering in 1947. He was classmate of Rubens Meister. He studied architecture at UFPR. In 1966 and 1972 Jaime went to France as an apprentice, thanks to two grants obtained from the Alliance Française, organized by the Ministère des Affaires étrangères.


Edifício Aurora (1964).
Jaime developed this project in partnership with Edson Panek, while he was still studying architecture, the Aurora building took advantage of the geometry of the corner lot.


Independência Condominium(1968).
The Independência Condominium, with 128 apartments, contains blade buildings, with two apartments per floor, and the H shape buildings with four apartments per floor. The construction technique, using pre-cast slabs of concrete, brick order patent, cast iron, aimed at the durability and efficiency of implementation.


Cosmos Condominium (1974).
The Cosmos Condominium, with one hundred apartments divided into four towers was designed inspired by Voisin and Le Cobusier. Colored steel tiles were used as lining of the sills of the facades and these buildings introduced to the city, prefabricated fire escapes of reinforced concrete, with design in low relief.

The Modern Architecture of Curitiba - Elgson Ribeiro Gomes

Elgson Ribeiro Gomes was born in Florianópolis on November 16th, 1922. The family moved to Curitiba, in the effort of his mother to see her son graduate in a profession. During the first year of Civil Engineering at UFPR University in 1940, he start working for Suruga & Colli Contractors. In 1946, having already completed the course in civil engineering, and still not satisfied with his training, Elgson moved to Sao Paulo to devote himself to architecture, enrolling at the School of Architecture at the University Mackenzie. Elgson met Adolf Franz Heep at São Paulo Association of Fine Arts, where he sought to improve his drawing skills, before returning to architecture school, ultimately influencing his career. The collaboration between the two lasted for nearly ten years, from 1950 to 1959.

Souza Naves Building (1953).
The Souza Naves Building was a result of the partnership between Elgson Ribeiro Gomes and Adolf Heep. The project was done to serve the Institute for Pension and retirement benefits of Paraná (IPAS). The exchange of the iron frames to aluminum in 1981, provoked outrage by the architects of Curitiba and the interventions in 1995 decharacterized the volume of the entrance hall.

Itália Building (1962).
The Itália Building with its curved facade, allowed the best use of the rooms facing the street. As a result, the building earn its own personality in the urban landscape. In Itália Building project, the architect used the law to advance 1.2 meters over the alignment of the site.


Provedor André de Barros Building (1969).
The Provedor André de Barros is a building that stands out in the urban landscape of Curitiba. It is part of a set of apartment buildings where the architect has practically exhausted the proposed design of the inner area (30 to 600 square meters). The treatment that Elgson and Heep have done to the casings and sills of the balconies, allows us to draw a parallel between their apartment buildings and housing units in Marseille (1946) and Firminy-Vert (1960) of Le Corbusier.

The Modern Architecture of Curitiba - Ayrton Lolo Cornelsen

Ayrton Cornelsen was born in Curitiba on July 7th, 1922. Ayrton conducted an extensive work as an architect and engineer. In 1943, as an engineering student at UFPR University and employee of the Municipality of Curitiba, he was responsible for show Curitiba to Alfred Agache. He has completed his engineering in Rio de Janeiro, where he maintained contact with the architecture produced by the disciples of Lucio Costa. Lolo has been a permanent critic to the urbanism planning of Curitiba since the large avenues proposed by Agache were not implemented, keeping the center of Curitiba "cluttered", without the appearance of a big city desired by the French architect.

Marcos Axelrud House (1953).

The Marcos Axelrud House contained in a rectangular prism, has a lush porch in curved design with reinforced concrete. The projected terraces were designed to receive brises, which were not implemented.

Romário Pacheco House (1953).

The Romário Pacheco House is among Cornelsen’s most elaborate designs. This house feature exquisite details of elements in wood, which implementation was facilitated due to the joinery that Lolo was the owner.

DER Headquarters (1955).

In the design of the DER headquarters the main block is retreated from the street alignment and the ground floor was sat on stilts. A two storey block with a front auditorium crosses the main block. The architectural elements are complemented by using the terrace for a restaurant and leisure, open space in each floor, tape windows, matching the purist principles of Le Corbusier.

The Modern Architecture in Curitiba - Vilanova Artigas

Artigas was born in Curitiba on June 23rd, 1915, and early lost his father. He received a solid education due to his mother, a teacher of state schools. He joined the engineering course at UFPR University in 1932, but moved to Sao Paulo, where he attended evening classes of artistic design at the School of Fine Arts. The stage with Oswaldo Bratke consolidated his apprenticeship as an engineer-architect of the Polytechnic School of USP, where he obtained his degree in 1937. He spent the year 1947 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, with a grant from the Guggenheim Foundation, maintaining contact with the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright.


João Bettega House, today Artigas Institute (1944).
The João Bettega house contains, in small scale, the vocabulary of the architect, including the promenade architectural and the use of vivid colors. The house was established on high ground and criticized by the population. Artigas sought to interfere as little as possible at the natural terrain. The house was resolved within a rectangular prism, with modulated distribution of pillars, on two floors, with space for by double headroom and connected by ramps so as to allow all environments facing north. Restored in 2004, it was transformed into Artigas Artigas.


Hospital São Lucas (1945)
In his project for São Lucas Hospital in Curitiba, Artigas interprets the purist ideas of Le Corbusier's, as an independent structure, tape windows and blocks connected by ramps. It is location on high ground and corner marks the urban landscape.


Edgard Niclewicz House (1978).

Twenty-five years after the João Bettega House, Artigas designed the house Edgard Niclewicz, one of his last works. In similar language, the project was developed into a rectangular prism, with a blind wall of concrete facing the street.

The Modern Architecture of Curitiba - Frederico Kirchgässner

Frederick Kirchgässner was born in Karlsrube, Germany. He was brought to Brazil with his parents and registered as born on April 12th, 1899 at Ibirama in Santa Catarina. He moved to Curitiba as a child, studying at the Deutcheknabeuschule of Bom Jesus School.
Kirchgässner began to work as designer for the City Hall of Curitiba on June 25th, 1916, staying at the Department of Urbanism until his retirement. In 1929 he travelled to Berlin, where he has got his degree as architect. He died in Curitiba on August 19th, 1988.


Frederico Kirchgässner House (1930).

Kirchgässner designed and built his own house in 1930, a year that marks the first manifestation of modernist architecture in Curitiba. This house is a small masterpiece, the deployment and distribution of the program, the care with which the technique used to built it, the gateways and the use of the roof deck, and the refinement in every detail of the house, from the frames to the furniture.

Bernardo Kirchgässner House (1936).

Kirchgässner designed his brother's house which was his second modernist project with a simpler design. The house has a slope to the back of the lot and presents an interesting composition of volumes. Seeking sunshine on three sides of the house, the architect raised a blind wall on the left e boundary of the lot, which orientation is south.

Portugal Street Building (1958)

The building of the Portugal Street has detailed architecture with Art Deco reminiscences. It was built with no independent structure of reinforced concrete. This four-storey building was deployed occupying all limits of the site.

The Modern Architecture of Curitiba

The idea for the posts that I will publish in the coming days on Modern Architecture in Curitiba, came after I have bought and read the book of Prof.. Salvador Gnoato "Arquitetura do Movimento Moderno em Curitiba” (Architecture of the Modern Movement in Curitiba - Travessa dos Editores, 2009), a book that I highly recommend due to the volume and quality of information, allowing readers to better understand Curitiba in which we live and how the hand of these professionals have the ability to affect the landscape and the way we relate to the city.

My proposal here is to present a short introduction to the Modern Movement in architecture and in the following posts, present a short summary of the work and lives of eight Civil Engineers (or Architects without architecture school, as quoted in the book), which helped to consolidate the ideas of the Modernist Movement in Curitiba. Their names are, in the same order that they appear in the book, Frederico Kirchgässner, Vilanova Artigas, Ayrton "Lolo" Cornelsen, Elgson Ribeiro Gomes, Jaime Wasserman, Leo Linzmeyer, Romeo Paulo da Costa and Rubens Meister, all born or raised in Curitiba. Professor Salvador kindly allowed me to use his book as the source for the texts to be published.

Other architects and engineers also left their modernist mark in Curitiba, including buildings that were object of posts on this blog, such as the Civic Center, the Headquarters of the UFPR, the Colégio Estadual do Paraná and many other buildings throughout city.

The Modern architecture is a generic name for a set of architectural schools and movements that have come to characterize the architecture produced during much of the twentieth century (especially the period between the decades of 10 and 50), inserted into the artistic and cultural context of modernism.

The features of the modern architecture can be found in sources as diverse as the Bauhaus in Germany, Le Corbusier in France, Frank Lloyd Wright in the U.S., Russian Constructivists, some linked to school Vuthemas, among many others.

One of the basic principles of modernism was to renew the architecture and reject all the previous architecture movements, mainly the architecture of the nineteenth century expressed by the eclecticism. The break with history was part of the discourse of some modern architects as Le Corbusier and Adolf Loos. The main goal of the modernism is the rejection of historical styles especially for what they believed to be a devotion to beauty. With the title of “Ornament is a Crime” (1908) an essay by Adolf Loos, criticizes what he believed was an architecture concerned with the superfluous and superficial. The modernism saw the ornament as an enemy to be fought.