House Where Machado de Assis Lived in Ruins Becomes Legal Action — Court Orders Restoration in 120 Days Under Daily Fine of R$ 10,000

Written by Romário Pereira de Carvalho

Published on 18/10/2025 at 22:25

Justiça ordena restauração de sobrado no Centro do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, onde o escritor Machado de Assis viveu — Foto: Tomaz Silva/Agência Brasil/Divulgação; Marc Ferrez/Domínio Público/Wikimedia Commons | Montagem: Casa e Jardim

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Ruling by the 15th Public Treasury Court Mandates Restoration of the Historic Residence of the Writer at Rua dos Andradas, 147, and Holds Both the Owner and the City Hall of Rio Responsible for Negligence in Preservation

The Judiciary of Rio de Janeiro has ordered the immediate restoration of the former residence of Machado de Assis, located at Rua dos Andradas, 147, in the city center. The ruling, issued on October 13 by the 15th Public Treasury Court, responded to a lawsuit filed by the Public Ministry of the State of Rio de Janeiro (MPRJ) against the City Hall and the property owner.

House of Machado de Assis in Ruins and at Risk of Collapse

The case indicates that the house, classified as a historical-cultural heritage site, is in critical condition. The property has lost its roof, the façade is on the verge of collapsing, and part of the land is being used as a rotational parking area.

According to the MPRJ, both the public authorities and the owner have been negligent in conserving a property deemed essential for the writer’s memory.

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House of Machado de Assis: Required Repairs and Daily Fines

The court ruling establishes that the repairs must begin within 45 days and be completed within a maximum of 120 days.

Failure to comply will result in a minimum fine of R$ 10,000 per day. The restoration project must include the removal of the asbestos roof, protection of the masonry against infiltration, and a complete review of the electrical wiring.

Original elements of the façade must be preserved, reused, or faithfully reproduced.

Public Ministry Action and Historical Value

The action was presented by the 1st Public Prosecutor’s Office for the Environment and Cultural Heritage of the Capital, which held the city hall responsible for the lack of oversight of classified properties.

The address is located in a Cultural Heritage Preservation Area (Apac), near Little Africa, an area currently undergoing urban revitalization.

Prosecutor Carlos Frederico Saturnino emphasized the symbolic value of the property, where Machado de Assis lived with his wife, Carolina de Novais, shortly after their marriage.

It was during this time that the author prepared his first novel, Ressurreição (1872). He also mentioned a letter from 1869 in which the writer refers to the home on Rua dos Andradas.

City Hall and Heritage Institute

The Rio Heritage Institute (IRPH), linked to the City Hall of Rio, stated that the property is privately owned and that the owner has already been notified and fined several times.

Machado de Assis (1839–1908), founder of the Brazilian Academy of Letters, is the author of classics such as Dom Casmurro, Quincas Borba, and Memórias Póstumas de Brás Cubas.

With information from Casa e Jardim.

2 Comments

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Luciano Seibel(@luciano_seibel)

#184072

Member

20/10/2025 13:43

Acho esta política de preservação de patrimônio muito interessante. O tambamento é feito via judicial sem direito de recorrer e, o proprietário particular é quem tem que arcar com as custas. Se é de interesse público que seja o estado que pague.

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Marcelo

#184044

20/10/2025 12:25

Preservação de patrimônio não é nosso forte definitivamente! Se a casa onde Machado de Assis está assim, imaginem a sensibilidade e políticas públicas para moradias populares?!

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House Where Machado de Assis Lived in Ruins Becomes Legal Action — Court Orders Restoration in 120 Days Under Daily Fine of R$ 10,000

Ruling by the 15th Public Treasury Court Mandates Restoration of the Historic Residence of the Writer at Rua dos Andradas, 147, and Holds Both the Owner and the City Hall of Rio Responsible for Negligence in Preservation

House of Machado de Assis in Ruins and at Risk of Collapse

House of Machado de Assis: Required Repairs and Daily Fines

Public Ministry Action and Historical Value

City Hall and Heritage Institute

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House Where Machado de Assis Lived in Ruins Becomes Legal Action — Court Orders Restoration in 120 Days Under Daily Fine of R$ 10,000

Ruling by the 15th Public Treasury Court Mandates Restoration of the Historic Residence of the Writer at Rua dos Andradas, 147, and Holds Both the Owner and the City Hall of Rio Responsible for Negligence in Preservation

House of Machado de Assis in Ruins and at Risk of Collapse

House of Machado de Assis: Required Repairs and Daily Fines

Public Ministry Action and Historical Value

City Hall and Heritage Institute

A giant printer called the “Ferrari” of concrete has landed in Latin America and can already build a 120-square-meter house in just 48 hours, making the traditional construction site look like something from the last century.

Brazil will harvest a record crop of up to 357 million tons of grains, but it does not have the capacity to store a large part of it. The storage deficit has reached the highest level in history and is equivalent to almost the entire production of Argentina.

Four times faster than the Concorde, capable of taking passengers from New York to London in less than an hour at Mach 5.5, and with an engine that switches from turbojet to ramjet mid-flight at Mach 3.5, the Hermeus Quarterhorse went from paper to its first flight in just 19 months.

Under nearly 2 kilometers of ice in Antarctica, scientists have discovered an ancient landscape sculpted by rivers up to 60 million years ago, the size of Wales, preserved as a time capsule that could help predict the advance of ice towards the ocean.

She started by collecting oyster shells from restaurants and today she has already accumulated more than 10 tons to restore reefs, recover coastal habitats, and demonstrate how a common waste can become a tool for ocean conservation.

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