Industrial Heritage in the Hinterland of São Paulo

                                                                                                                                               Industrial Heritage in the Hinterland of São Paulo

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Dra. Anicleide Zequini - [email protected]

Artigo publicado no Boletim do The Internation Commitee for the Industrial Heritage, n. 16, 2002]

 

The existence of rivers with waterfalls, such as the Tietê River that crosses the whole state of S.Paulo, was a determining factor to the construction of several manufacturing enterprises in the second half of XIX century.

 

At that moment, the state economy was based upon coffee farming for export, on slave manpower, and on a policy of transferring this work from slaves to European immigrants, mainly Italians. In this context, cotton was introduced the years 1860 into the Itu region, traditionally bound to the sugar cane culture.

 

The importance of cotton farming to the region relates to the provision of raw material to the pioneer plants, for which the cotton production contributed, providing opportunities of technical-commercial development. The presence of steam and hydraulic industrial machinery placed the region in the most advanced technological context in the end of XIX century.

 

The geographical setting was another determining factor for the concentration of textile manufacturing plants in this area. The town of Salto, close to Itu, and 120 km. from the capital of S.Paulo State, is located in a transitional zone from the Atlantic Plateau to the Peripherical Depression of the sedimentary Paraná basin and, on an area belt called the “ Fall Zone” .

 

Here the Tiete River has one of its greatest waterfalls, which caused construction of the first industrial building to be started in 1873, the Fabrica Galvão. This enterprise brought to the region one technological innovation, the hydraulic turbine. The machinery was bought from Platt Brothers & Co. Limited, from Oldhan, England, from where the building plans also probably came from, being adapted to the local constructive resources, granite stone masonry.

 

Aspects of this building, which shows similarities in regard to English models, are found in descriptions published in XIX century newspaper articles. By this means, it is possible to know that the square construction was of two stories, with elevations 35,2 meters long.

 

The first level, where the hydraulic turbine was installed, had its foundation on a large granite rock close to the river, with granite columns and arches supporting the upper floor.

 

All the machinery was mounted on this second level. Its walls were constructed with granite blocks and mortar, 28 ogee windows illuminated the large room. Wooden colonnades supported the roof.

 

In 1880, downstream of this building, the textile manufacturing plant “Barros Junior” was installed. This plant, still existing after several modifications, was built using bricks produced by the owners; the building has two floors. The external stonework was made of granite blocks, making the construction more impermeable.

 

In 1904, those two industries were combined, giving origin to the Fábrica de Tecidos Ítalo – Americana, owned by Sociétá per l´Éxportazione e per l´Industria Ítalo-Americana, with headquarters in Milan, Italy. In 1919, through a new joint venture, it was named Brasital S/A.

 

During this new management, the Galvão plant was demolished, in its place new buildings to house the looms were built, now equipped with electrically-powered machinery .The ancient building gave place to another one, in the British-Manchester style, according to projects prepared in Italy, the same style being also introduced in the Fábrica Barros Júnior, with details added to the roof finishing.

 

The style is characterized by red brick masonry in the façade, with no revetment and by stonework in granite, worked by Italian and Portuguese masons. This pattern was also adopted in other buildings of the town, such as the nursery, hydraulic power plant, worker’s houses as well as other industrial buildings property of the firm, the Salto Paper Industry (Fábrica de Papel de Salto), textile warehouses in S.Paulo city and textile industry in S.Roque – S.P.

 

Ítalo Americana/Brasital considerably marked the history of Salto – S.P., in regard to its social framework. After the industry’s establishment, the town passed to have a significant population of Italian origin, after the contracting of industrial masters and foremen, teachers and school directors, and medical doctors. Italian families, coming from the coffee farms, found the enterprise an alternative possible workplace in town, and became industrial workers.

 

Nowadays, all the buildings have been adapted as teaching facilities, and follow on as examples of the city and the State historical heritage, representing a period of the Brazilian industrialization.