Former Customs | Customs Square

Until the 70's, the Customs building was located by the sea. With the construction of the Baia Sul landfill, the front of the building gained a large area, from Praça Fernando Machado to the Public Market, which was transformed into a square, Largo da Alfândega.

The place is a meeting point for the local population and the countless tourists that pass through it daily. It is usually the stage for artistic and popular performances.

In 2020, Largo da Alfândega was completely revitalized, after being closed for two years for deep works, financed by the Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional (Iphan) and the City Hall, which also carried out the new architectural project.

ADVERTISING

The new Largo da Alfândega has decks, paving, accessibility and landscaping, in addition to water features, which demarcate how far the sea went in that area before the landfill. There are also rest areas, a flower shop, restrooms, tourist information centre, police station, handicraft sales and snack bars. The large metallic cover reproduces the shape of bobbin lace, a tradition inherited from the Azorean immigrants who colonized the Island of Santa Catarina.

The Customs Building

In a neo-classical style, the building is made up of three bodies - the central one, with a storey and pediment topped off, and two side warehouses, with independent roofs topped by a platband, and the characteristic of being the woodwork supported by a Doric column. of a monumental order. Of rectangular construction, the ground floor is predominantly full, repeating the oculus-door motif in an oculus-arch, five times on the main facades and on the two sides, in cadence only distended in the middle part, to balance with the arcade of seven doors on the upper floor. , closed by a balcony.

Sober, with two-by-two facades, it is of a meticulous construction and refined finish, with corners and carved stonework span, profiled cornices and cushioned platbands, topped off on both floors by porcelain vases and with the flags of the floor doors in flowered frames. , to the taste of the time, as are the interior doors. Externally, it is in good condition, except for minor changes.

On the upper floor is the technical office of the Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional - Iphan. On the ground floor is the Santa Catarina Plastic Artists Association gallery, with space for exhibitions by regional artists, the Santa Catarina Handicraft Store, where it is possible to purchase beautiful souvenirs typical of local handicrafts such as bobbin lace, artisanal cachaças and clay, in addition to the Customs Bar. The site is one of the main tourist attractions in the city center due to its historical importance and architectural beauty.

Brief history

The history of the Old Customs began in 1874, when João Tomé da Silva, president of the Province of Santa Catarina, was authorized to have a new headquarters built to replace the previous one, which had burned down in 1866 for reasons that are still unknown. The chosen location was not the same as the previous building, but in the marinas, between Livramento and Ouvidor streets, a place then called Largo do Príncipe, because it was on the street of the same name - the current Conselheiro Mafra.

Opened in 29 July 1876 by the then President of the Province, Alfredo D'Escragnolle Taunay, it cost 120 contos de réis, an amount paid to José Feliciano Alves de Brito, the contractor who built it. Until today, the building has a plaque commemorating the event, which highlights the names of the presidents of the Province, who worked on behalf of the construction, of those responsible for the planning and execution of the work, respectively Eng. Martinho Domiense Pinto Braga and Cel. José Feliciano Alves de Brito, in addition to the opening date.

Source: Guide to Listed Goods Santa Catarina
Rua Conselheiro Mafra, 141 - (48) 3224-6082.