ThroughthestreetsofRio–Newspaperbuildings

Strolling through the streets of downtown in the first decades of the 20th century, we could see the buildings of many of the newspapers established there. Let's then recall some of them, which we found among the photos of the Light archive. A Imprensa (corner on the right) was owned by Sociedade Anônima Progresso and was founded by Alcindo Guanabara. Before that, in the 19th century, there had been a publication of the same name by Rui Barbosa. When A Imprensa moved to that location, it left its previous address to a newspaper that was being founded and that would become one of the most important in the city and the country, O Correio da Manhã. In its masthead, it listed two addresses: Avenida Central 155 and Rua da Assembleia 95, where the administration, the newsroom, and the workshops were located. It ceased operations in 1919. On the other side of the street (corner on the left) was the Avenida movie theater, occupying numbers 151/153 of the avenue, where it was one of the main attractions. Right there at that intersection with Rua da Assembleia, the trams passed by, coming from Praça XV and continuing along Rua da Carioca to Praça Tiradentes, Campo de Santana, and beyond.

Image description: This is a historic black-and-white photograph of a busy street, likely from the early 20th century. The image shows a large avenue with several people walking and vehicles circulating. On the left, there is a building with ornate architecture, possibly a newspaper office, with towers and decorative details. On the right, there is another building with a light-colored façade and large windows. In the center of the image, there are streetcar tracks, indicating the presence of public transportation. The people are wearing formal clothing of the period, suggesting an event or a workday.

On another corner of Avenida Central (numbers 120, 130, 132) stood the headquarters of O Paiz, "an independent, political, literary, and news journal," founded in 1884. It was one of the most influential newspapers at the time of the campaigns for the abolition of slavery and the proclamation of the Republic. Its first editor-in-chief was Rui Barbosa, soon replaced by Quintino Bocaiúva, one of the founders of the Republican Party, who held the position for a longer stretch, until 1901. It moved to the new building, on the corner with Rua Sete de Setembro, shortly after Avenida Central opened. O Paiz lasted half a century, coming under attack starting with the Revolution of 1930 and closing in 1934. Other newspapers followed on the new avenue; the Jornal do Brasil opened its new headquarters nearby in 1909.

Image description: This is a historic black-and-white photograph of an urban street. On the left, we see a building with ornate architecture, possibly a newspaper office, with decorative details on its façade. In front of this building, there is an old car parked, with people standing nearby. On the right, there is another building with similar but more elaborate architecture, featuring columns and large windows. People are walking along the street, and in the background, other buildings and a cable car line are visible.

In this detail, crossing Avenida Central among the passersby, the highlight is the two women walking toward the photographer. They probably wore corsets under those long dresses, which forced them to hold them up with their hands so they wouldn't drag on the ground or make them trip. The hats with showy adornments were 'merry widow' styles, a reference to the theatrical staging of the operetta of the same name, which became a fashion trend in that early part of the century.

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of an urban street, with historic buildings in the background. On the left side, we see an old car parked and people walking. In the center, two women dressed in early-20th-century clothing are walking together, holding walking sticks. On the right, two men in suits are talking near a tree. The main building, with its doors closed, occupies most of the image, standing out for its ornate architecture.

The newspaper A Noite was founded in 1911 by a group in which Irineu Marinho, former secretary-general of the Gazeta de Notícias, stood out; its newsroom was housed in a townhouse at Largo da Carioca 14, while its workshops were on Rua Julio Cesar (Carmo) 31. It was Rio de Janeiro's first evening paper – true to its name, it was released around 7 p.m., carrying news gathered up until 5:30 p.m. As an example, we transcribe the note published to the left of the newspaper's title on Jul. 20, 1911: “Today. Useful notes. Beginning cloudy, threatening rain, the day later turned out very fine. The afternoon was splendid and hot. The maximum temperature was 24.6º; the minimum, 19º.” It was a popular newspaper; it once printed two hundred thousand copies daily, at a modest price, in successive print runs or ‘clichês’, as they were called, updating news even on the famous page titled “Última Hora,” which gave prominent space to crimes and police cases, as well as to politics: “Latest telegrams from ‘A Noite’'s special correspondents in the interior and abroad, and service from the American Agency. Latest quick and detailed information from all of ‘A Noite’'s reporting.” The newspaper also had space for serialized fiction; in it, Lima Barreto published the satirical novel “Numa e a Ninfa.”

Image description: This is a historic black-and-white photograph of a square with buildings in the background. On the left side, we see a large building with ornate architecture, possibly a newspaper office, featuring several windows and decorative details. In front of it, two streetcars are stopped, one of them showing the number "555." The square is full of people walking and old vehicles moving about. In the background, other large, symmetrical buildings complete the urban scene.

It was journalist Jota Efegê who uncovered this story: in 1913, when Rio de Janeiro's chief of police Belisário Távora (who cracked down on gambling and prostitution) declared that “gambling was permitted as long as the government hadn't ruled on it,” a pair of reporters from that newspaper set up a roulette wheel right there, in Largo da Carioca – and ended up arrested. Years later, in 1916, the episode inspired the first samba ever recorded, Pelo Telefone – registered by Donga at the National Library's Copyright Office and soon performed publicly: “O chefe da polícia pelo telefone manda me avisar / Que na Carioca tem uma roleta para se jogar...”

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of an old urban scene. From left to right, we see a large building with ornate architecture, possibly a newspaper office, with balconies and decorative details. In front of the building, there is a sign with light-colored lettering. In the center, there is a large, dense tree. On the right side, further back, we see another similar but less ornate building. In the foreground, there are old vehicles and a streetcar track. To the left, part of a train is visible.

The newspaper went through several phases. In 1925, Irineu Marinho stepped away after a troubled episode that led him to create O Globo. In 1929, now owned by Geraldo Rocha and under the direction of Diniz Júnior, the newspaper's new headquarters was inaugurated in the celebrated A Noite building, designed by French architect Joseph Gire, the same architect who designed the Palácio das Laranjeiras, the Hotel Glória, and the Copacabana Palace Hotel. With 23 floors, it was the tallest building in South America. New printing machinery was acquired, and the editorial project underwent a renewal; in 1930 the legendary illustrated weekly supplement, printed in rotogravure, was launched. This building is one of the most remarkable in the city's history. It was there that Rádio Nacional, inaugurated in 1936, operated. The newspaper A Noite went through difficult times and remained in circulation until 1964.

Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of a tall, imposing building located on a street with trees and a few people walking by. On the left side, we see a large tree and a sign with a classical column. In the center, there is a large building with many windows and the name "A NOITE" lit up at the top. On the right, there are more trees and a small sign with text. In front of the building, several people are walking and some old cars are parked.