FábricadeTecidosCorcovado

Located in Jardim Botânico, in the southern zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro, the Fábrica de Tecidos Corcovado was founded by José da Cruz in 1889, as part of the Companhia de Fiação e Tecidos Corcovado. Established on Rua Jardim Botânico, it occupied the former land of the Chácara de João Calhau - between Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas and Parque Lage - and its main activity was the weaving of cotton yarns.

Image description: This is an old black-and-white photograph. On the left side, we see dense vegetation with trees and bushes. In the center, there is a body of water, possibly a lake or river, with an industrial building in the distance. On the right, there is a large, dried-out tree. On the horizon, we see mountains covered with vegetation. In the lower part of the image, a man is standing behind a wooden fence, looking out at the landscape.

The factory came to have around a thousand employees among men, women, and children, and its workforce included, besides Brazilians - Black and white -, European immigrants of diverse origins. After the opening of the factories (the Fábrica Carioca also set up in Jardim Botânico, in 1884), this area of the South Zone began to attract many workers, due to the growing demand for industrial labor.

In order to meet workers' demand for housing, the workers' villages were built, but the Corcovado factory, in order to keep its workforce in line and make them stay in the region, resorted to strategies that went beyond housing: it invested in mobility, comfort, and assistance to employees.

In 1903, the factory opened a daycare center to look after the children of female workers during their work shifts. Offering medical care and breastfeeding, the children could still be visited twice a day. In this way, the company's board managed to ensure the regular attendance of a large part of the workforce. The owner of the Corcovado factory, José Cruz, was the pioneer of company-sponsored daycare centers in Rio's factories.

The factory's location was strategic: close to the city center and served by tram lines since 1871, the region also had several rivers nearby, which was essential for factory production.

In 1898, the Chapel of São José was built, located close to the current Paróquia São José - also known as the "Glass Church" - on the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas. The chapel stood facing the Fábrica de Tecidos Corcovado. As part of the structure that kept the workers' interest, the Companhia de Fiação e Tecidos Corcovado had, within its domains, an educational institution - the Escola Sotto Maior, with classes divided by sex.

Image description: This is an old photograph of a school class. In the front are children dressed in white uniforms, followed by adults. On the left is a woman in uniform, possibly a teacher, and on the right is a man in a black suit. In the background there is a metal railing and a building. The image is in black and white. At the bottom is written "J. DIAS CORRÊA PHOT. AMADOR".

All these institutions fostered by the factory were aimed at controlling the workers. Discipline was the cornerstone of production, with entry and exit times rigidly controlled, and attention was also paid to conflicts and disturbances outside the factory. Workers had to follow these rules or risk losing their jobs and, with them, access to housing.

However, the precariousness of the workplaces—with rooms lacking windows, excessive working hours, and low wages—fueled the workers' discontent, who relied on strikes as a tool in the fight for better working conditions. The site even suffered a fire in 1928, leaving 10 employees injured.

Image description: The image is an old black-and-white newspaper. At the top, there is a large, prominent headline reading "GRANDE EXPLOSAÇÃO" (GREAT EXPLOSION). Below it, there is text narrating an explosion incident at a textile factory called Corcovado. There are two featured photos: one on the left shows a person in profile, wearing a suit and tie, and another on the right shows a person facing forward, wearing a hat and more casual clothing. Both photos are in black and white. Between them, there is a group photo showing several people standing, possibly factory workers. In the background, there is an image of a boiler cap that was hurled about 40 meters by the explosion.

In the 1940s, the Corcovado factory went bankrupt after facing the major crisis that hit textile factories following World War II. The company's land was subdivided and parceled out for the construction of houses. With real estate speculation, the region stopped being working-class and began to receive the wealthier layers of Carioca society.