Murray Shepherd Corner

News

Neo-Gothic Porto Architecture

The Neo-Gothic did not have a great following in Porto. Examples such as the Pestanas’ Chapel in Rua do Almada are quite rare. The architect J. Macedo Araújo constructed this building between 1878 and 1888.

The French Influence in Porto Architecture

There is one building where the influence of the French architecture of the Fontainebleau school, which goes form the Renaissance to the Belle Époque, is displayed – it is the São Bento Railway Station, built in 1900 by the architect Marques da Silva. In 1909 Marques da Silva built the most Parisian building in Porto: the St. John’s Theatre, inspired by the Louvre and the Charles Garnier Opera Houses. Following the same influence but denoting technical and aesthetic modernity is the Nascimento Warehouses, dating from 1914. These quality undertakings place Porto in the limelight of the period’s architecture. With regard to interior architecture, the Fashion Shop Vicent, in Rua 31 de Janeiro, is worthy of mention; it clearly reflects the influence of the Paris and Monte Carlo Opera Houses. The architect Marques da Silva (1869-1947), was born in Porto and studied in Paris.The influence of the French architectonic culture appeared in all his artistic creations. He planned of the headquarters of the Martins Sarmento Society, in Guimarães, built around 1900.

Exoticism and Eclecticism

Examples of this new aesthetic tendency, consolidated in the second half of the 20th century, are the Alexandre Herculano and Rodrigues de Freitas secondary schools, by the architect Marques da Silva. The best example is the Avenida dos Aliados, started in the early 20th century, showing the Kaussmannian influence, and the City Hall.

The most significant Art Nouveau creation is the interior of the Lello Library, inaugurated in 1906. The building’s façade is neo-Gothic, with symbolist panels. The Lafayette Galleries inspire the stairs. The ensemble shows naturalist decorative elements, composed by the relief of writers, like Camilo Castelo Branco, Eça de Queirós and Guerra Junqueiro. The designer of the library was Xavier Esteves, an Engineering teacher at the Porto’s Instituto Industrial e Comercial.

João de Almada e Melo

was a chief battle sergeant, a general governor of the province and city of Porto, and a brigadier of His Majesty’s armies. He was responsible for the introduction of the lyric theatre in Porto, in the old building of the Guard Corps, inaugurated on 15 May 1762. João de Almada e Melo was the father of Francisco de Almada e Mendonça, responsible for the great transformations and improvements of the city of Porto in the late 18th century.

John Witehead

was born in 1726. In 1772, when he was consul in Porto, he suggested a measuring method to the Marquis de Pombal, which would later (1781) be presented at the Lisbon’s Royal Academy of Sciences. An educated and extravagant man, with a vast and eclectic library, he devoted himself mostly to the study of physics and mathematics. However, it was as an architect that he became notable. A friend of João de Almada e Melo, he was responsible for the English Factory, for the plan of the Ribeira Square (only partly built) and several other unfulfilled projects. He was one of the first to join the neo-classical movement (more precisely the neo-Palladian style) in the Porto architecture.

Nicolau Nasoni

Engaged to paint Porto’s Cathedral, Nasoni became an inspirational architect, perhaps stimulated by the magnificence and scenery virtues of the northern granite. The church façades are a testimony of his “theatrical” sensibility and of the architectonic importance that Nasoni gave to his creations. His intervention in the old Porto borough contributed to a radical transformation of the city’s image. Nasoni lived in a time of renovation for both Portugal and Porto. He lived in a time of economical and cultural vitality. Churches and palaces were built under his guidance throughout the whole region around Porto.