Boavista was and still is a point of attraction for services and trades. A good example was the construction, in 1976, of one of the largest and most modern shopping centers on the Iberian peninsula – The Brasília.
It should be acknowledged that the place where this shopping center is located there was a mansion belonging to the Oliveira e Sá family related to the rope industry.
Since the 1974 revolution, Brasília reflects a social and cultural turning point of the city, a break with the past, an opening to internationalization and modernity. It was crucial for a deconcentration of interests for the downtown area, thus establishing a new axis or pole.
About this, lyricist Carlos Tê and musician Rui Veloso were the producers of “Rapariguinha do shopping” launched in 1980. Through the lyrics it is possible to verify this need for change with the traditional past.
Já não conhece ninguém
Do lugar onde cresceu
Agora só anda com gente bem
E vai ao sábado à noite à boite
Espampanante e a mascar chiclete
No vigor da juventude
Como uma estrela decadente
Dos bastidores de Hollywood
Entering Brasília, it is also possible to come across specialty stores linked to alternative music and cartoons. Going back in time, this shopping center was famous for the unique escalators that attracted a considerable amount of people. The Charlot Cinema was also well known and lasted 25 years ending in 2001. It is worth mentioning 3 iconic nightlife clubs: Glassy, Romanoff and Griffon’s.
Built in 1875, this is an image of the old Boavista train station that initially connected Porto to Póvoa de Varzim through places such as Senhora da Hora, Pedras Rubras or Mindelo. Therefore, inevitably, this line was extended to Famalicão and later Guimarães.
Regarding Porto, it is worth mentioning that in 1938 - with the purpose of connecting the city center to Boavista - a junction of the line was built extending it to Trindade.
Following the junction, there is the stop at Av. França, which is before the Trindade station.The Boavista station was closed and dismantled in the wake of Porto 2001.
Casa da Música is undoubtedly a landmark Porto building. Not being the only example in the area, since its construction, it sustains socially and culturally this part of the city, doing justice to a clear evolution of Boavista as a point of attraction at several levels mentioned above.
Still, it is important to bring up the building that precedes the Casa da Música.
The Remise of Boavista was a structure linked to public transportation, namely the “Machine”, which was a steam vehicle that pulled trailers with passengers; the American, with a hypomobile traction; and the tram that is still in operation.
Regarding these transports, it is of particular interest to elevate the route that the inhabitants of Porto did in the Summer, from the city center (Carmo stop) to Foz (Cadouços station) along a wide path where currently Avenida da Boavista can now be found.
From the Boavista station, on a trip that lasted 30 minutes, the rail path of the “machine” was to travel down, turn left at Fonte da Moura stop - currently Correia e Sá street – and then up to the Cadouços square. From there it proceded from Foz to Matosinhos.
It is also worth noting that Boavista Remise was a storage and repair building.
In 1928 there was a big fire that almost completely destroyed the facilities. As a follow-up, an even bigger property was built with 20 entrances for “the Machines”, Americans and trams. It was known for the “Twenty Doors”.
Outside the roundabout, it is also possible to find a historic building of high heritage value. Since the Siege of Porto there was a need to build a hospital from scratch, but it was only in 1862 that the construction of the military hospital nº 1 D. Pedro V began. It received the first patients in 1869.
Mário Rocha | Contentor
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