Altino Arantes - Skyscrapers on Waymarking.com

Facts (from Emporis.com )
- The building's form was inspired by the Empire State Building.
- Tallest concrete structure in the world from 1947 until 1962; surpassed by Marina City I in Chicago.
- In 1951 the observation deck was opened to public.
- The original project from Plínio Botelho do Amaral, was changed by Camargo & Mesquita construction company to resemble to the Empire State Building.
- The main lobby floor-to-ceiling height is 16 meters.
- The building has 1119 windows and its staircase has 900 steps.
- In 1947 this building surpassed Prédio Martinelli as the tallest building in São Paulo.
- Although the building is not the tallest in the city, it is located on the highest point in the downtown. This makes the observation deck one of the best spots in town for sightseeing.
- In 1988 the building hall received a 13 meter tall luster, weighing more than 1.5 tons. The piece has 150 lamps and 10 thousand crystal accessories.
- The construction process was stopped during World War II and restarted after the war.
- The building facade is covered by porcelain pieces; inside the building some floors are decorated with Carrara marble and Ipê and Jacarandá parquet blocks.
- In the 1960´s the building was renamed from Edificio-Sede do Banespa to Altino Arantes in honor of the first Brazilian president of the bank.
- ts bank vault, which has circular doors of sixteen tons each, was made by York Safe & Lock Co. from New York. It offers 2,000 safety deposit boxes in several sizes.
- The flag atop the structure is 7.2 meters long by 5.4 meters wide. It is the ensign of the State of São Paulo and is replaced every month.
- There is a museum in the 3rd floor of the building, with photos of the 40´s, objects of the time of inauguration and newspaper articles about the building.
- The observation deck is open to public visitation on weekdays from 10am to 5pm. Every month about 5600 people visit the observation deck.
- The 16m tall walls of entrance lobby are coated with white marble.
- Tallest building from 1947 to 1960, until Mirante do Vale was completed.
- The construction begun in September 13, 1939 and finished almost eight years later on June 27, 1947.
- The facade wasn´t changed since the building inauguration, except for the installation of a luminous display at the top of the building.
- The first foundation stone was placed by São Paulo former governor, Ademar de Barros.
- When completed, the building was the tallest high-rise building in the world outside the United States.

Building Name: Altino Arantes Structure Height: 528 Number of Stories: 36 Year Built: 1947 Use: Office Building Publicly accessible areas: Yes Address: Rua João Brícola, 24 Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil Building Website: [Web Link] Architect/Design Firm: Not listed Style: Not listed Hours: Not listed Cost: Not listed The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) link: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   05/08/2007 saopaulo1 visited it

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