Did you know there was a beautiful Palacete in the Marechal Hermes neighborhood? It stood on Boqueirão street and took up an entire block. It was built by order of Marechal Hermes da Fonseca for his wife Nair de Teffé, who, besides being First Lady from 1913-14, was Brazil's first female caricaturist.
The mansion of Marechal Hermes. Collection: Facebook page Marechal Hermes- Cultura, Fatos e Fotos
Image description: The image is an antique illustration, likely an engraving or map, depicting a coastal area with several locations marked. The spatial layout begins on the left, where we see extensive agricultural fields and some densely wooded areas. Moving to the right, we find several islands and peninsulas, each with its own inscribed name. In the center, there is a large main island with various structures and names written in Portuguese. On the right, there are more areas of vegetation and flat terrain. The map features a compass in the center, indicating the cardinal directions. The colors are predominantly beige and brown, with some details in green and blue.Years later the mansion belonged to a Lebanese family, who lived in the little palace for many years. They were the last residents of the little palace, which, unfortunately, was already in ruins by the early 1980s. The heiress sold it, and the little palace ended up being demolished for the construction of a housing complex, which was given the name Condomínio Palacete.
Testimonials
A minha avó Wadia, minha tia Sara e minha mãe Araçata foram criadas no palacete. Eu era criança e estava lá constantemente. Era lindo, enorme, com várias salas e muitas árvores. Eu corria pelos corredores, ia muito aos quartos de cima, que tinham camas enormes. Lá tinha um telefone preto de manivela, em que eu ligava para a telefonista, passava o número e ela fazia a ligação, isso é algo que eu não esqueço. Lá fora havia muitos pés de jabuticaba e manga, me lembro também que tinha uma piscina. Era muito legal!
Wadia, Inácio's grandmother, at one of the small palace's windows. C. 1959. Collection - Marcos Antônio
Image description: This is an old photograph of a smiling man with short, gray hair. He is sitting in an open window, looking outside. The window has light wood frames and is located in a building with a red brick facade. In the background, there is a stone staircase and a wooden door.Many times my grandmother would stay at that window waving goodbye to me, when I was leaving, I was about 14 years old." Inácio Pontes, 70 years old
“So many memories of the mansion... I remember the patterns on the walls, the enormous bathroom, the crank telephone. And my grandma, of course, and aunt Sara. The last residents of the mansion. The mansion belonged to my great-aunt's husband, who lived there until he passed away. After he passed away, my aunt and my grandparents continued living in the mansion until the heiress sold it. My family and I spent a large part of our lives in the mansion.[...] Célia Murad, sister of Inácio (taken from Facebook)
Sara, aunt of Célia, Marcos Antônio and Inácio. C. 1950. Collection - Marcos Antônio
Image description: This is an old photograph of a smiling woman. She is wearing a hooded coat and a pendant necklace. Behind her, there is a wall with geometric patterns.Eu lembro que tinha pé de tudo quanto é fruta. O noivado da minha irmã Célia foi lá dentro e, como tinham muitos quartos, todos dormiram lá. Eu me lembro também que todo mundo dizia que o palacete era mal assombrado, eu mesmo quando dormia lá, morria de medo.
Fui criado pelos moradores do palacete. Era imenso, tinha 5 entradas e mais de 12 quartos, para encerar o chão levava uma semana. Uma pena que tenha sido demolido, poderia ter sido um museu.
Jacy Pedro in the backyard of the Palacete. Jacy Pedro's collection.
Image description: The image is an old black-and-white photograph. In the scene, we see two people standing, with trees in the background. The person on the left has their back turned, wearing a dark suit. The person on the right is facing forward, wearing a light-colored blazer over a white shirt. Both are in an outdoor setting, with dirt ground and leafless trees in the background.“[...] My mother used to tell many stories: that it was a haunted place and after 6 p.m. nobody would walk by there, because of a ghost called Viramundo, who had been an overseer and, in the early hours, you could hear the gallop of his horse. [...] But I miss it and I regret that it was torn down to build a condominium.” Misael Rodrigues (taken from Facebook)
Entrance to the Palacete Condominium, on Rua Boqueirão, Marechal Hermes. Source: Google Maps.
Image description: This is a photograph of a street in a residential neighborhood. On the left side, there is a yellow car parked behind a green metal fence. A traffic cone sits on the ground in front of the fence. In the center of the image, there is a sign with text in Portuguese. In the background, there are colorful houses with sloped roofs and electrical wires hanging overhead.A casa em que cresci (ainda pertence à minha família) está num dos lotes que compunham o palacete. Cheguei a ver pisos e muros originais. Encontramos vários objetos ao escavar para construir a casa. Havia um ipê roxo magistral em outro lote que, lamentavelmente, também foi derrubado, anos mais tarde...
