Rio de Janeiro, Copacabana.COM Sunday, 14-Mar-2010 08:40:12 BRT

History of Copacabana

Home > Street Guide > Copacabana´s History part I ( Copacabana´s History part II page in Portuguese is here)

At the "26 de Janeiro" Square, nowadays called "Bernardelli" Square (better known as "Lido" Square), was built a Norman pavilion, in 1928, where during many years was one of the most elegant restaurants of the city, the Lido. Its Carnival Balls were famous and lasted until 11:00 a.m. of the next day.

The "Copacabana Palace Hotel" with its casino, elevated the fame and the internationalization of the district. In 1936, Noel Rosa sang in "Tarzan, o filho do Alfaiate" (Tarzan, the son of the tailor):

I sit for the photographers/
and give autographs/
to all the girls from the beach in the morning./
An Argentine man told me, looking at me in Copacabana:/
"there is no super force/ that stops this Tarzan!"

There was another casino in the district, inaugurated two years before, the Atlântico, lifted up where before was the Mère Louise (in the future, there becoming the TV Rio, and nowadays the "Sofitel Rio Palace Hotel") The casinos attracted personalities from all over the world until the April 30th, 1946, when the President Eurico Gaspar Dutra prohibited casinos in Brazil. The Copacabana Palace had the glory of guest kings, emperors and princes, presidents of Brazil and other countries, Indians Maharajas, intellectuals, scientists, artists of all over the world and important people of different categories.

In 1931 started to cross by the streets of Copacabana, the "Light Company" buses. By this time, in its skyscrapers there were already apartments for rent by season directed to foreigners and tourists that came to Rio de Janeiro to spend the summer at the beach. The building "Palácio Império", used to publish furnished apartments, restaurants and garage at "O Cruzeiro" magazine. In 1938, at the Henrique Dodsworth administration, the works at "morro do Cantagalo" linking Copacabana to Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas are finished. The 40’s had seen Copacabana lean as an elegant district and its nightlife is divided between its two casinos: the "Copacabana", that belonged to the "Copacabana Palace Hotel" and the "Cassino Atlântico" at the corner of Atlântica Avenue and Francisco Otaviano street.

But, just after being put in possession at April 30th, 1946, the President Eurico Dutra determined the finish of the casinos in Brazil. The "Cassino Atlânico" soon closed its doors because it didn’t had a hotel as support. On the other way, the casino of the "Copacabana Palace" became into a place to shows and other touring activities.

At that time, the nightlife of the city removes definitely to Copacabana. The retail trade had 793 establishments, while the population of the district was close to 75.000 habitants. Copacabana, the "Princesinha do Mar" (Princess of the Sea), was eternized in songs of "João de Barro", the "Braguinha" and Alberto Ribeiro and recorded in 1946 by Dick Farney, being known all over the world with hundreds of recordings. The verses are:

  There are beaches so wonderful, 
          so plenty of lights, 
          no one has the charm you have. 
          Your sand, your wonderful sky, 
          your mermaids always smiling: 
          Copacabana,
          princess of the sea, 
          in the morning you are the life singing
          and at the sunset
          you always leave a yearning inside us. 
          Copacabana, 
          the sea, the eternal singer, 
          became in love when kissing you
          and nowadays whispers
          only you I will love!

In a natural way, with all this aristocracy and affluence, two big slums were already at the hillsides since the former decade: the "Cantagalo" and the "Babilônia". The district was growing, constructions of houses and buildings were lifted up and streets were opened in the direction of the sea. On the sands of Copacabana all kinds of sports were practiced: soccer, shuttlecock and the beach soccer from where resulted many different teams.

It started to appear young groups that elected corners and squares to meetings where they created and maintained the Carnival and the June typical parties. The most famous place of these meetings was at Miguel Lemos street.

The new way of living in buildings contributed to form youth groups that lived in the same street.

The several corners have until today its youth groups. In the 50’s the most famous was the one of Miguel Lemos street, where a leader stood out, Cristiano Lacorte, that in his wheelchair used to animate the group, being present at all the events in Copacabana. At the block, it were -and nowadays still are- organized several thematic parties. In Carnival, children and adults played and still keep playing in the sidewalk, with musicians specially hired to play in the three days of the party. These groups dispersed by the streets and there is no World Cup without the streets decorated by them. In June typical parties the streets are decorated as "arraiás" to the joy of the residents.

introduced and keep introducing the news in music sports and fashion, like: scooters, blue jeans, rock and roll, sports and the massive frequency in the language courses (in the 90’s, it was the computer courses).

Copacabana had many bookstores and gave special attention to theatrical and movie programs becoming into a pioneer in appearing of clubs that brings together devotees of pictures, concerts and having the audience to the jam sessions, always very successful. Incontestably, it was a way to the youth to develop a notion of equilibrium about the difference of social classes.

The 50’s marked Copacabana with three important happenings: the offense to Carlos Lacerda in July 5th, 1954; the death of Aída Cury in July 14th, 1958 and the birth of Bossa Nova (New Bossa), in 1958 with the record "Canção do amor demais"(Too Much Love Song) by Elizeth Cardoso.

"O Globo" newspaper published in January 29th, 1954: "Since 1935, when the "Cassino Atlântico" was inaugurated in Copacabana, the "Posto 06" (watchtower 06) have been one of the most animated places in Carnival of the capital of the Republic. Nowadays, the seat of AABB (a social club), the building at the corner of Atlântica Avenue and Francisco Otaviano Street keeps maintaining the tradition of the bastion of carnival joy. Since two weeks ago, it has been realized in its nightclub lively balls, the "Sassaricadas" (from 14:00 p.m. to 20:00 p.m.), that will happen all Saturdays until carnival."

Carlos Lacerda was a federal representative in 1954 at Rio de Janeiro. "O Globo" newspaper published in March 24th, 1954: "Lacerda and Aranha’s son punched each other It started with an angry discussion followed by a fight between Mr. Euclides Aranha and the Journalist Carlos Lacerda, an incident that lasted until midnight resulting in a traffic jam at Atlântica Avenue and the interdiction of the place by Police authorities disturbed last night the dinner at "Bife de Ouro", the "Copacabana Palace Hotel" restaurant. At the same table, were the minister João Cleophas, the representative Edilberto Ribeiro, Mr. Manuel Ferreira and Carlos Lacerda, Director of the "Tribuna da Imprensa" newspaper, in a dinner promoted by Edilberto Ribeiro. From another table, Mr. Euclides Aranha, son of the minister Oswaldo Aranha, who was having dinner with his wife, stood up with an angry expression, walked into the direction of the group, stopped in front of the journalist and talked about what was written in the newspaper about his father. Then, after a rude discussion, they started to punch each other. According to the witnesses, both punched each other for a while until common friends separated them. At 11:00 p.m., the minister Oswaldo Aranha went to the restaurant to see what was happening. A few minutes later, both were seen leaving the restaurant at the same time by different doors." The president of Brazil was Getúlio Vargas, elected in 1950, which government Lacerda was contrary to. After many crises in the government of Getúlio Vargas, always criticized by Lacerda, he was offended at Tonelero Street in Copacabana, where he lived, by the personal securities of the president. Lacerda was shot on his foot, but his friend, the major Rubem Vaz of Aeronautics, whom he was talking with in front of Albervânia building was deadly shot. This episode caused a deep wear to Getúlio Vargas ending with his suicide, in August 24th, 1954. It was a national commotion.

Aída Cury, an eighteen year-old student from a religious school (other sources said that she was 23), accepted the invitations of Mr. Ronaldo Castro to have some English classes in his apartment at Atlântica avenue. When she arrived she came across another boy, Mr. Cássio Murilo Silva. She fell down or was thrown from the porch of the building after resisting the sexual harassment of the two boys that lived in the district. The crime revolted everyone and both were arrested. One of them was under age, so he stayed recluse until 1962 at a Social Service. The other one passed six years in the prison. The main conclusion of this episode was that Copacabana lost its innocence.

"O Globo" newspaper published in May 19th, 1954 "The wounds of Copacabana! Copacabana with its wonderful beach nowadays famous all over the world and the alpine beauty on the opposite side of the sea, could be a piece of heaven, but it became into a piece of hell. It is a district already very populous which has only two ways to access. But, in spite of its tremendous inconvenient, it’s not the worst. There are lack of water, the streets have a lot of holes, the sidewalks have a lot of rubbish and inconceivable walls, for instance, the ones we see at Nossa Senhora de Copacabana avenue between Fernando Mendes and Rodolfo Dantas streets. We can say that these walls are lifted up in an incredible way, impeding people walking on them, showing to everyone that everything is possible in Copacabana. Everything is really possible in Copacabana, all kind of wounds. Maybe it is because of that the authorities are unworried and letting the most famous beach of the Americas become into a dirty drain. It makes people sick when they see what happens there, or in what we tread on there. That silver sands that shine on the sun are plenty of the most repulsive things. Copacabana beach now is the residence of one of the biggest contingent of loafers of the capital. They eat, live and do whatever they want without any authority telling them that it’s time to suffer the consequences about so excessive freedom."

In January of 1958, Rubem Braga a respected chronicler, wrote: Ai de ti Copacabana (Poor Copacabana), a chronicle in which like a prophet of Apocalypse, complained:

I have already moved the sea from one place to another and its waves took Leme and Arpoador , and you haven’t seen this signal; you’re lost and blind in the middle of your cruelty and malice

The Bossa Nova (New Bossa) was born at Atlântica avenue in the house of Nara Leão, where since 1956, the youth of middle class as Roberto Menescal, Ronaldo Boscoli, Carlinhos Lira and other people came together with beer and sandwiches tosing. But, the most important fact of the Bossa Nova was the record of Elizeth Cardoso, "Canção do Amor Demais" (Too Much Love Song), in 1958. "Canção do Amor Demais", which accompaniment made by the guitarist João Gilberto with a new rhythm soon baptized as Bossa Nova. João Gilberto became a singer and the "Pope" of Bossa Nova recognized all over the world.

In 1955 was inaugurated the first supermarket with self-service, the "Disco", nowadays "Pão de Açúcar at Siqueira Campos street. At the same year, a fire destroyed one of the most famous hotels of Copacabana, Vogue, at Princesa Isabel avenue which nightclub was frequented by the "carioca" high society.

Two years after, the Rock and Roll came to Brasil precisely in Copacabana at the Copa Golf, where nowadays is the Shopping Cassino Atlântico. From Leme to Posto Seis, Copacabana definitely became into a leisure place of the city. There were 06 theaters, the "Bob’s", the veranda of the "Miramar" Hotel, the "Colombo" candy shop, the pool of the Copacabana Palace Hotel, the Masses of Father Barbosa, the Americana department store, the Frederico’s Bar in the ground floor of the nightclub Fred’s and the Scaramouche (in front of Bob’s). The itinerary of the night included 36 restaurants, 04 theaters, 03 snack bars, 02 clubs and 20 nightclubs.

The high level of the population of Copacabana made the individual transportation raised and started to divide with some difficulty the access ways to arrive in the district, with buses and streetcars. The development of the automotive industry, just created in Brasil, made the constructions of the buildings with garages and parking lots. The families which aspiration was reaching a status that was stipulated by the society of that time, were always intending to live in Copacabana even if it was in a small apartment. There always was a handsome guy who used to make exercises showing his muscles wearing a pressed t shirt and it was the look of the poor guy going for a better life living or frequenting the district.

This image was captivated by Billy Blanco in a "samba" recorded in 1957 by Doris Monteiro, "Mocinho Bonito:

" (Handsome Boy):

Handsome boy, a perfect improvisation of a fake tycoon, in an athletic body, the brain is from a little boy , who haven’t learned anything more than the ABC, got a suntan, the hair is carefully enraged, in a Count looking is hidden a pitiful, a poor impostor that the luck forgot. Talking big that lives by gains and lives in a Palace, and tries to forget the hut in Estácio , the original place that he left. Handsome boy that is a fake rascal of Copacabana, the most he gets is 20 notes a week that the "sister" never denied.

Copacabana´s History

Part I

Part II