A Big Piece Of London In São Paulo: The 1889 Building That Once Lit Up The City And Now Lies Abandoned.

Written by Fabio Lucas Carvalho

Published on 18/12/2025 at 06:44

Updated on 18/12/2025 at 06:48

Casa das Retortas, de 1889, marcou a iluminação a gás em São Paulo, recebeu mais de R$ 100 milhões em reformas e pode virar hub criativo em 2025

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Built in 1889 in the Former Gasometer Complex, the House of Retorts Marked Gas Public Lighting in São Paulo, Was Left Empty After 2023 and May Be Transformed into a Creative Economy Hub from 2025

Built in 1889 in the Former Gasometer Complex, the House of Retorts, in the Historic Center of São Paulo, Marked Gas Public Lighting in the 19th Century, Has Been Closed Since 2023 After Over R$ 100 Million Invested and May Be Transformed into a Creative Hub from 2025.

English Industrial Architecture Preserves Paulist Energy Memory

The House of Retorts is a 19th Century Building with English-Inspired Architecture, Characterized by Exposed Brick and an Industrial Profile, Inserted in the Former Gasometer Complex, a Strategic Area of the Historic Center of São Paulo.

The Building References the Period When Gas Was the Main Source of Urban Energy, Before the Consolidation of Electricity, Preserving Constructive Characteristics Typical of British Industries Operating in the Energy Sector in the Late 19th Century.

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Paulo Nogueira

Gasometer Changed Urban Routine by Allowing Nighttime Use of the Streets

The Gasometer Complex Was Established in the Late 19th Century to Produce Energy and Ensure Gas Public Lighting, Replacing Old Oil Lamps and Dependence on Moonlight.

With the Arrival of Gas Lighting, the Urban Dynamics of São Paulo Changed Profoundly, Allowing the Population to Occupy Streets and Public Spaces After Dark for the First Time.

Retorts Burned Coal to Feed Public Lighting

In 1889, the São Paulo Gas Company, the English Company Responsible for the Gasometer, Built the House of Retorts to House the Containers Where Coal Was Burned to Generate the Gas Used in Public Lamps.

The Retorts Were Fundamental Structures in the Gas Production Process, Representing a Relevant Technological Advance for the Urban Infrastructure of São Paulo at That Time, Consolidating the Complex as the City’s Energy Hub.

Decline of Gas and Integration of the Complex into the Municipality

Starting in the 1930s, Electric Energy Gained Ground and Gas Lighting Fell Out of Use, Leading to the Closure of the São Paulo Gas Company’s Operations in Brazil.

With the End of Operations, the Entire Gasometer Complex Passed into Municipal Ownership, Initiating a Long Period of Functional Emptying and Progressive Loss of Space Utilization.

21st Century Renovations Did Not Result in Reopening

After Decades Empty, the House of Retorts Underwent Renovations in the 2000s Aimed at Welcoming New Functions, Including the Installation of a State History Museum.

The Project Did Not Advance Due to the High Costs Necessary for Soil Decontamination, and the State Government Officially Gave Up the Initiative in 2023 After Investing Over R$ 100 Million in the Space.

Creative Hub Project May Redefine Use of the Building

Since 2023, the Building Has Remained Closed to the Public, but in 2025 the City Hall and the State Government Announced Studies to Transform the House of Retorts into a Creative Economy Hub.

The Proposal Includes Restaurants, Bars, and Startup Offices, Integrating the Project into the Center Redevelopment Program and Returning the Former Gasometer Complex to São Paulo Residents, Despite the Still Uncertain Future of the Historical Heritage.

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A Big Piece Of London In São Paulo: The 1889 Building That Once Lit Up The City And Now Lies Abandoned.

Built in 1889 in the Former Gasometer Complex, the House of Retorts Marked Gas Public Lighting in São Paulo, Was Left Empty After 2023 and May Be Transformed into a Creative Economy Hub from 2025

English Industrial Architecture Preserves Paulist Energy Memory

Major Oil, Gas, and Energy Event Will Take Place in Brazil: Macaé Energy Will Gather Petrobras, Equinor, Prio, Among Other Suppliers and Energy Executives for Business, Networking, and Employment Opportunities

Gasometer Changed Urban Routine by Allowing Nighttime Use of the Streets

Retorts Burned Coal to Feed Public Lighting

Decline of Gas and Integration of the Complex into the Municipality

21st Century Renovations Did Not Result in Reopening

Creative Hub Project May Redefine Use of the Building

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A Big Piece Of London In São Paulo: The 1889 Building That Once Lit Up The City And Now Lies Abandoned.

Built in 1889 in the Former Gasometer Complex, the House of Retorts Marked Gas Public Lighting in São Paulo, Was Left Empty After 2023 and May Be Transformed into a Creative Economy Hub from 2025

English Industrial Architecture Preserves Paulist Energy Memory

Major Oil, Gas, and Energy Event Will Take Place in Brazil: Macaé Energy Will Gather Petrobras, Equinor, Prio, Among Other Suppliers and Energy Executives for Business, Networking, and Employment Opportunities

Gasometer Changed Urban Routine by Allowing Nighttime Use of the Streets

Retorts Burned Coal to Feed Public Lighting

Decline of Gas and Integration of the Complex into the Municipality

21st Century Renovations Did Not Result in Reopening

Creative Hub Project May Redefine Use of the Building

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Where there was only sand and wind at 40 degrees, China built a megacity of 500,000 inhabitants with farms, wineries, and universities in the middle of the desert using melted glacier water from hundreds of kilometers away.

At over 8,800 meters above sea level, the summit of Mount Everest is made up of rocks that originated at the bottom of an ocean about 500 million years ago and were pushed to the highest point on Earth by the collision of tectonic plates.

With a water crisis on the radar, Sabesp invests in reclaimed water for data centers and transforms sewage treatment into a solution that saves millions of liters and protects public supply.

Measuring just 3 cm and with skin that resembles a starry sky, the “galaxy frog” lives hidden in the mountains of India and is one of the rarest and most enigmatic species in the forests of the Western Ghats.

In the driest desert in the world, scientists and farmers are growing lettuce amid tons of sand using water taken from the air, in a project that transforms fog into crops and reveals a surprising way to make life flourish where almost nothing survives.

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