TheCityofLight

The City Light, now totally forgotten, constituted a space of great significance for the economic and social history of Rio de Janeiro and Brazil. Let us remember it, then. It gathered the company's workshops on a single 160,000-square-meter plot, near the Triagem station, previously occupied by a turf track that belonged to the Jockey Club of Rio de Janeiro. The plot was situated between Conselheiro Mayrink, Doutor Garnier, Major Suckow, Francisco Manuel, and Estrada Real de Santa Cruz streets (in a section of the current Dom Hélder Câmara). In addition to the landfill, two large galleries with many branches were constructed for the drainage of the waters that crossed the land. The inauguration took place in 1930, already with twenty buildings, and the event featured the presence of the President of the Republic Washington Luís – shortly before the coup of 1930.

Image description: This is an old sepia-toned photograph showing an industrial complex. On the left side, there is a large construction area with several rectangular, latticed structures. Moving toward the right, we see more industrial buildings, including long, wide sheds. In the center, there is an open area with vegetation and some smaller structures. In the background, the urban landscape extends outward, with houses and streets.

In the image, the main entrance of the facilities where ‘a little of everything’ was produced, which became even more important starting in 1939, when World War II began and the consequent shortage of imports – from fuel to gas and electricity meters, among many other products and raw materials. Much was invested in research in its laboratories, aiming to increase local production. There, 150 trams and 50 buses were built per year, in an industrial standard without precedent in the country.

Image description: This is an old photograph of a building with Art Deco architecture. The image shows the facade of a building, with a sign at the top that reads "THE RIO DE JANEIRO TRAMWAY LIGHT & POWER CO. LTD." The facade has geometric decorative elements and side columns. The windows have metal grilles. The ground in front of the building is made of stone, and there is a light-colored sidewalk.

In this photograph, an aspect of the City Light in Triagem. In the background of the facilities, the Engenho Novo mountain range and then, the Tijuca massif.

Image description: This is an old sepia-toned photograph showing an open area with several linear structures arranged symmetrically. On the left, there is a long, low building with a sloped roof, while on the right stands another similar building. In the center, there is a large flat area, possibly a courtyard or square, with some traffic lines or dividers. In the background, there is a tree line and mountains softly lit by the sun. The image is in black and white, with predominant sepia tones. There is no visible text in the image.

In Cidade Light there were large warehouses of lubricants, paints and woods, iron and steel; sawmills, blacksmiths, carpentry and a painting section, which met the manufacturing demand not only of vehicles, but also of furniture; workshops for the construction of trams and buses, trucks and steel cars; mechanical workshops to perform repairs on engines, electrical machines, compressors, axles, wheels and boats; a wire drawing workshop (where wire, threads and thin metal bars were manufactured), galvanizing and brass foundry workshops; an iron foundry (poles, underground station covers etc.). There was even a specific area to meet the demands of manufacturing and repair of hydroelectric plants. In addition to a locker room, restaurant, medical center and other facilities, aiming for the well-being of the workers.

Image description: This is an old sepia-toned photograph showing an industrial or railway area. On the left side, there is a small building with a sloped roof, while in front, there is an open lot with train tracks crossing one another. In the center, there is a larger building with several windows and doors. On the right, there is a similar but smaller structure, surrounded by a metal fence. In the background, there is a city with various scattered houses and buildings, and in the distance, mountains covered with vegetation.

Cidade Light was strategic in the process of corporate communication and propaganda. Visits by engineers, military personnel, politicians, and representatives of workers' unions were frequently promoted, duly recorded and disseminated in the Revista Light. In 2011, the demolitions of Cidade Light began for the construction of the Bairro Carioca. The project provided for the maintenance of a building from the old workshops, which was transformed into a school. This 1932 report, published in the Revista Light, describes the complexity of that undertaking.

Image description: This is a composite photograph made up of several images showing different sectors of a factory. The spatial layout goes from left to right and from top to bottom. In the upper left, we see a large mechanical area with several machines and equipment. Next to it, there is an image of iron foundry work. Below, three men stand in front of a set of motor coils. To the right, there is a wide view of the factory with many machines and industrial structures. Underneath, we see a person working with electric welding. To the right, there is an image of oil recovery. At the bottom, we see a team of workers around a bronze tank. The last image shows a painted machine. All images are in black and white.

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Imagem 1 de 2: Revista Light, 1932 - p. 24

Light invested heavily in the training of its own personnel. Although there were previous initiatives in the country's trajectory, including the creation of the ‘Schools of Apprentices and Craftsmen’ starting in 1909, it was after 1930, under the government of Getúlio Vargas, that technical professional education began to receive greater attention from the federal sphere. And further ahead, this field structured itself within the private sphere, with the creation of the National Service for Industrial Apprenticeship – SENAI – in 1942. The Cidade Light was also a large school, as can be seen. And you, do you know any story of a former Light employee who took their learning forward, investing in other ventures upon leaving the company?

Image description: This image is a black-and-white photograph showing a visit by students to Cidade Light. At the top, we see a group of men in formal attire at a factory or industrial plant. Below, there are more photos of groups of people observing industrial equipment. On the right, there is text in Portuguese discussing the practical instruction of students from the Technical School of the Electricity Department. The text mentions visits to the New Workshops and the importance of these excursions in complementing theoretical teaching.