Historical Site Teresinense

The production of Cícero Ferraz and the new centrality of Av. Frei Serafim

Resumo

Architecture is inevitably involved in the most diverse processes that determine urban dynamics, and, therefore, it is important to contextualize it, understanding its heritage relevance, as well as the historical, cultural and urban value of the place where it is built. This article seeks, therefore, to build a panorama that links the urban evolution of the city of Teresina to the work of engineer Cícero Ferraz de Sousa Martins, who stands out as a relevant sample of the architecture produced during the first half of the 20th century in the capital of Piauí. This relationship is structured in the study of Avenida Frei Serafim, which houses a large part of this engineer's productions and whose construction represents, for Teresina, a milestone in its urbanization, giving the city a centrality independent of its initial site. Therefore, the methodology used is based on bibliographic research and data collection in public collections and virtual repositories, especially regarding the particularities of Avenida Frei Serafim and the productions of Cícero Ferraz. Thus, the research develops from the urban evolution of the city to the construction of the public place in question, emphasizing its consolidation as part of the historic urban site. Then, there is an articulation between different urban scales, through the construction-lot connection, as well as an analysis of the potential of this avenue as a “timeline” regarding the architectural development of the capital. Therefore, the work strives to reinforce the inseparability between architecture and urbanism while also ratifying the urgency that must be had in overcoming superficial and strictly formal diagnoses in this field.