RUSTIC ENVIRONMENT

The photos must have been taken between 1922 and 1928, and have been kindly donated by Alexandre Medeiros to the Alma Carioca website. The mansion, seen in the foreground, was one of the first buildings on Avenida Atlântica. In the background, we can see Praça do Lido, Praça Bernadelli being its official name. Henrique Bernadelli, a painter, who was born in Valparaíso, Chile, and his brother, Rodolfo Bernadelli, a sculptor, owned a beautiful mansion at the corner of Avenida Atlântica with Rua Belfort Roxo. In the picture, it is possible to see the mansion with its two towers. It was demolished in the late 1930‘s, prompting protests that were ignored by the authorities. The square had been previously called Praça Vinte e Seis de Janeiro. During Mayor Carlos Sampaio’s governance, the beach-side restaurant Lido was built due to the celebrations for Brazil’s Independence Centenary, also having a first aid station, a garden and a skating rink. Lido is a tribute to an Italian beach in Venice.

In 1928, Mayor Prado Júnior built a Norman pavilion at the same place where the Lido restaurant used to be located. This pavilion was an elegant spot of the city for many years, where it was possible to have dinner and to dance listening to the Colman orchestra. The square used to have a high terrace, which separated it from the sea, and a view of Avenida Atlântica. It was probably demolished in 1928, since we are able to see, in the pictures of 1930, a garden with trellis ornaments, similar to the ones in Jardim de Alah today. In this picture, it is still possible to see the terrace. At Praça do Lido, where the restaurant was once located, the Escola Municipal Roma is now based, which is one of the two municipal schools in Copacabana that offers students a wonderful view of Avenida Atlântica.
* The photographs on this page were taken from the Alma Carioca website. The authors are mentioned here. The goal is to make Praça do Lido’s history known. If their disclosure is not permitted by the holders of their copyrights, just e-mail carretao@carretao.com.br and the item in question will be removed immediately.