And Iphan lifted the bride's veil and said "I do": eclecticism and Modernism in the Luciano Costa building

Abstract

They are rare the moments in the history of the politics for the preservation of heritage in brazil in which one can see the dimension of the conflict surrounding the attribution of value to a cultural good have significant repercussion, mobilising various agents. The case of the building Luciano Costa, in Recife, is an example of this kind. In this article we aim to present - through the interpretation of a complex web of discourses and actions - the preservationist polemic surrounding this building, a singular example of architecture, because it has two façades simultaneously, one Eclectic and one Modern. Largely unpublished, the technico-administrative documents of the 5ª Superintendência Regional (5th Regional Superintendency) and of the Departamento de Documentação (Documentation Department) of Iphan, as well as those of the fundação do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico de Pernambuco (foundation for the Historical and Artistic Heritage of Pernambuco), of the Diretoria de Projetos Especiais da Empresa de Urbanização do Recife (Special Projects Directory of the Urbanisation Company of Recife) and of the Ministério Público de Pernambuco (Public Prosecutor of Pernambuco), were the main sources targeted.