The Estacao Julio Prestes Sao Paulo: From Trains to Symphonies

The Estacao Julio Prestes Sao Paulo was the first railway station to be built in Sao Paulo, originally inaugurated on July 10th, 1875. Its purpose was to facilitate the transport of coffee throughout the state of Sao Paulo and into the interior cities, and soon became the main hub of the Brazilian coffee exchange in this part of the country!

Built in the style of Louis XVI’s European architecture, the Estacao Julio Prestes Sao Paulo was richly adorned during its early years with detailed goldwork, sculpture, and artistry. With a total of 25,000 square meters of space, the station was even given an award in 1927’s Pan-American Congress of Architects. It was in 1930 that the station was opened to the general public for the first time, and in 1934, it was commissioned for use by the population and given the name that adorns its façade today.

Unfortunately, the golden age of coffee couldn’t last forever, and the Estacao Julio Prestes Sao Paulo was left to deteriorate for many years. However, in 1990, a proposal was made that spurred forward the concept of the station’s restoration back into its state of former glory – and instead of letting it sit around as an abandoned train station, the suggestion was made to turn it into the main home for the Sao Paulo Symphonic Orchestra of the State. Incredibly, after the restoration was complete, the station-turned-music hall was soon to become of the most respected and admired halls in Latin America.

In July 1999, the Symphonic Orchestra held its first concert in its new home, conducted by the renowned Maestro John Neschling of Rio de Janeiro. The former station looked nothing like the dilapidated remnant of the coffee industry that had sat there for so many decades, but was now a state-of-the-art concert hall with technological wonders such as a moving ceiling, which allowed the sound to be easily adjusted for each kind of concert performed there!

In addition to the ‘Great Hall’ where the symphony performs, there are 9 rooms for each type of instrument as well as a music library that stores all the necessary documents and literature. The main train platform still runs passenger trains through Sao Paulo’s western metropolitan areas, though the noise of the passenger trains does not interfere with the music as its hours are limited.

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