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Historic building in the Center of Vitória leaves behind years of abandonment and enters a new phase, with a housing project that foresees 44 affordable apartments in an area marked by commerce, services, idle properties, and disputes over the social use of empty structures.
The former Caixa Econômica Federal building, located on Avenida Jerônimo Monteiro, in the Center of Vitória, will be requalified to accommodate 44 affordable apartments intended for low-income families, within the Minha Casa, Minha Vida program, in the Urban Band 1.
Launched by the Vitória City Hall on Tuesday (19), during a ceremony at the municipal headquarters, the public notice opened the process to hire the company responsible for drafting the project and executing the adaptation works of the property.
Known as the Jerônimo Monteiro Building, the building spent years without effective use and accumulated problems in one of the most traditional areas of the capital of Espírito Santo, marked by the presence of commerce, public services, and intense circulation of people.
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According to Século Diário, the structure suffered break-ins, thefts of metal parts, and progressive deterioration, in addition to the collapse of the marquee in February 2024, before being included in the housing project.
Affordable apartments in the Center of Vitória
The proposal foresees the transformation of the old building into housing units with two bedrooms, living room, kitchen, bathroom, and service area, in an intervention aimed at the permanent residential use of an already existing public structure.
According to the Vitória City Hall, the apartments will have areas between 58 m² and 62 m², with adjustments in building installations and solutions aimed at accessibility, safety, and comfort for future residents.
With financing from the Residential Leasing Fund, the development integrates the Minha Casa, Minha Vida program and seeks to expand the supply of social interest housing in a region that already has installed urban infrastructure.
Instead of demolishing the property to make way for a new construction, the intervention will follow the path of requalification, changing the fate of a degraded building and putting the structure back into everyday use.
Caixa building was unused for years
Owned by the Union, the property had been ceded to the Court of Justice of Espírito Santo in 2017, when there was an intention to install Judiciary units on site, but the proposal did not advance.
Without the renovation planned for that period, the building remained without regular occupancy and became part of the debate on empty public buildings in central areas with services, transportation, and worker circulation.
The situation of the old Caixa building also connects to a broader discussion about idle or underutilized properties in the Center of Vitória, where community movements advocate for the fulfillment of the social function of property.
In 2022, a survey by the Abandoned Properties extension project, conducted by professors and students from Faesa College in partnership with the Vitória City Hall, identified at least 217 idle or underutilized properties in the central region.
This number reinforces the relevance of the case for local entities, which see the recovery of empty buildings as an alternative to bring low-income families closer to areas with infrastructure and public services.
Idle Properties and Social Function
For housing-related movements, converting empty buildings into affordable housing can reduce distances between home, work, transportation, commerce, and public services, especially for families who depend on the urban network daily.
The president of the Association of Residents and Friends of the Center of Vitória, Walace Bonicenha, told Século Diário that the reuse of the building is part of a broader discussion about the region’s revitalization model.
In the entity’s view, urban recovery should not be limited to aesthetics, tourism, or commerce, but also needs to include the permanence of residents, affordable housing, and social use of abandoned properties.
The articulation around the Jerônimo Monteiro Building was born from dialogues involving the Federal University of Espírito Santo, through the Department of Architecture, community movements in the central region, the Secretariat of the Union’s Heritage, and the Vitória City Hall.
From this institutional construction, the property began to be treated as a concrete possibility for residential reuse, instead of remaining closed in an area with housing demand and available infrastructure.
Notice Opens Path for Requalification
During the ceremony for the launch of the notice, the superintendent of the Secretariat of the Union’s Heritage in Espírito Santo, Fhilipe Pupo, stated that the discussion about the destination of the Jerônimo Monteiro Building began about three years ago.
According to him, the process faced technical, administrative, and legal challenges, but aimed to prevent the property from remaining idle and to ensure a social function for the structure located in the Center.
Representatives of the municipal administration, parliamentarians, and members of civil society also participated in the event, which marked a new stage of the requalification project of the old Caixa building.
Mayor Cris Samorini highlighted the partnership between the municipality and the Secretariat of the Union’s Heritage as part of the actions aimed at revitalizing the central region, as reported by the City Hall of Vitória.
Inspection of Abandoned Buildings
The demand for the proper use of abandoned properties also involves instruments provided in urban legislation, such as inspection measures, notification of owners, and mechanisms to combat the persistence of unused spaces.
Século Diário reported that the Public Defender’s Office of the State of Espírito Santo and Amacentro advocate for the application of Compulsory Subdivision, Building or Use, and progressive IPTU for idle properties.
In a hearing at the Court of Justice of Espírito Santo, the City Hall of Vitória informed that it is preparing a decree to regulate the inspection of idle properties in the Center of the capital.
This measure appears in the same context as the demands for actions capable of preventing empty buildings from remaining closed in areas with consolidated urban infrastructure and housing demand.
Another property in the central region also entered the debate on popular housing: the former building of the Institute of Retirement and Pensions of Industrial Workers, located at Praça Costa Pereira.
According to Século Diário, the structure is being discussed to receive more than 100 housing units through Minha Casa Minha Vida Entidades, within an agenda that increases the pressure for the reuse of empty buildings.
In the case of the former Caixa building, the work still depends on the hiring of the responsible company and the execution of the technical stages provided in the notice issued by the City Hall of Vitória.
Until the conclusion of this process, the Jerônimo Monteiro Building remains a symbol of an urban dispute involving abandonment, reuse of public heritage, and the need for housing in central areas.
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