The city government of Rio wants to acquire the A Noite building, located in Praça Mauá, in the port area of Rio de Janeiro, for R$ 28.9 million. The price was set in September last year by the Federal Heritage Secretariat (SPU), in the direct sale modality, after three unsuccessful auction attempts. The first skyscraper in Latin America, the building was inaugurated in 1929. In a note, the municipal government informed that “the wish was registered in a letter sent on Wednesday (1st) to the Minister of Management and Innovation in Public Services, Esther Dweck”. Also in a note, the Union Heritage Secretariat of the Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services confirmed receipt of the proposal and informed that “it will be analyzed. As soon as we have some definition, it will be widely reported”. Contacted by Agência Brasil, the management of Companhia Carioca de Parcerias e Investimentos (CCPAR), from the city of Rio de Janeiro, stated, through its press office, that it is not yet giving interviews on the matter. “The details of how the acquisition will be made are still being finalized by us”, he explained. With 22 floors and 102 meters high, the building was designed by the French architect Joseph Gire, who also designed the projects for the Glória and Copacabana Palace hotels. It was the headquarters of the newspaper A Noite and the National Radio of Rio de Janeiro, in addition to the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI). In 1940, the A Noite building passed to the power of the Union. Rádio Nacional, a broadcaster of Empresa Brasil de Comunicação (EBC), operated at the site until 2012, when it was transferred to the Lapa neighborhood, also in downtown Rio, due to renovations that would be carried out at the site. The project to build the Radio Museum in the skyscraper did not prosper. Auctions The first auction took place on April 30, 2021, in the virtual format, with a minimum bid set at BRL 98 million. But there were no interested parties. The second auction was scheduled for June 7 of the same year, with a minimum value of R$ 73.5 million, also without bids. The last unsuccessful attempt to sell the property took place on July 14 last year, for the price of R$ 38.5 million. Currently, the building is empty, unused and costs the Union more than R$ 1 million per year with elevator maintenance, security, brigade members and concessionaire fees. The building was listed in 2013 by the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute (Iphan) in two categories: Fine Arts, for its architectural features and artistic innovations, and Historic, for the importance it had in the history of radio and Brazilian culture.
Agência Brasil
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