Farol Santander São Paulo
The 1947 Altino Arantes skyscraper, now a cultural centre with galleries and a rooftop viewpoint.
The Edifício Altino Arantes was built between 1939 and 1947 as the head office of Banespa, the state bank of São Paulo. Its stepped granite tower, rising about 161 metres over 35 floors, was modelled on New York's Empire State Building and remained the city's tallest structure for many years. Listed by state and municipal heritage bodies, it stands beside São Bento station in the historic centre and is one of the defining silhouettes of the São Paulo skyline.
Santander opened the building to the public as a cultural centre called Farol Santander in 2018. Visitors move through galleries on several floors, a permanent room by the artist Vik Muniz on the fourth floor, a heritage display about the building, a skate ramp on the twenty-first floor and restaurants including a bar set inside the old bank vault. The main draw is the open-air viewing deck on the twenty-sixth floor, which looks out across the centre.
Highlights
- Open-air viewpoint on the 26th floor over central São Paulo
- Granite-clad 1947 tower modelled on the Empire State Building
- Vik Muniz's permanent installation and rotating temporary exhibitions
- Bar inside the former Banespa strongroom and a skate ramp on level 21
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