Health Block: University of São Paulo - USP built heritage

Abstract

This paper analyzes the documentation procedure that, in 2007, designated the Quadrilátero da Saúde (Health Block) as heritage and landmark in the history of the implementation of the public health system in the State of São Paulo. It is located in a region regarded as being outside the city in the late nineteenth century, between the original urban site and the settlement of Pinheiros. In the twentieth century, the city’s growth has incorporated this area, which now corresponds to a perimeter in the central region bounded by streets Teodoro Sampaio, Oscar Freire and avenues Rebouças and Doutor Arnaldo, joining a growing number of buildings related to public health. The documentation examined – specifically two technical reports used by the Historical, Archeological, Artistical and Tourism Heritage Protection Council (Condephaat) as basis for listing the site – revealed a clear split between architectural spatial analysis and historical contextualization. In addition to noting this split between the two speeches, the intent was to verify to what extent they complement, overlap or oppose each other.