Brazil 3
The total size of what is now called Cidade Matarazzo in central São Paulo is about 2.7 hectares. The whole lot, which includes the former maternity hospital, now the Rosewood hotel, was bought in 2011 by Alexandre Allard for a stated R$200m.
He has since sold the majority of the hotel to Rosewood, but he retains the surrounding area. Cleverly and expensively, he dug down eight floors beneath the still-working church. There, subterranean-style, are convention facilities, back-of-house, and parking for a reputed 1,000 cars. This means that the available land space around the hotel can be used constructively.
The gardens are deliberately unkempt-looking, but they’re not. They’re carefully manicured, Amazonia and endangered greenery plants, with some trees stretching up to a hundred feet. No obvious sign of coloured flowers, it’s all greenery. In one part, you can go down three floors by escalator to superb open-plan shopping, international brands mingled with local specialties. As you go down, there are green plants by the side of the elevators – see above.
It’s greenery everywhere. Coming up out of this greenery in some places are glass-walled booths that are boutiques. There’s also a two-floor building that houses a restaurant and Soho House São Paulo. Another solid building has an amazing bookshop – see below. This includes what is said to be the only Taschen books in the country, which is quite relevant because Brazilians love reading….
