Praia da Saudade was located where Pasteur Avenue now stands, connecting Botafogo and Urca. The origin of its name has not been identified, but it seems to be associated with a fishing colony, which may have named it this way because the place had a privileged view of the boats leaving Guanabara Bay — and which, soon after, left behind “saudade” (longing). In the early twentieth century, swimmers and regattas filled the beach resort.
Image description: This is an old black-and-white photograph of a beach overlooking mountains. On the left side, there are two large rock formations, while on the right, there are a series of buildings and a wooden structure over the water. In the center, a sailing ship is anchored near the shore. On the right, there is an area with rocks and a small wooden bridge. At the bottom of the image, there is a caption that reads "Morro da Urca, Praia da Saudade Rio de Janeiro".Foto: A. Ribeiro - Praia da Saudade - 1912 - Biblioteca Nacional
In 1908, due to the Commemorative Exhibition of the Centennial of the Opening of the Ports, the first landfill was made over the beach for the construction of some pavilions. But it was only in the 1930s that the beach effectively ceased to exist, with the landfill for the construction of the Rio de Janeiro Yacht Club.
