Parque Lage

The Henrique Lage Park, better known as Parque Lage, is a public park located in Rio de Janeiro, at the base of Corcovado, on Botanical Garden Street. It occupies an area of more than 52 hectares and is considered a historical and cultural monument of the city. Since 1966, it has housed the Institute of Fine Arts and the School of Visual Arts. The park has gardens designed in the European style and a palace, as well as a mortar aquarium and a pond known as the Duck Lake. It is also the starting point of a trail that leads to the top of Corcovado.

The history of the park begins in 1811, when Rodrigo de Freitas Mello e Castro bought some land that belonged to Fagundes Varela, in what used to be the King's Sugar Mill, located next to the lagoon. In 1840, the English landscape designer John Tyndale redesigned the site.

In 1859, the property passed into the hands of Antônio Martins Lage, and in 1913, it was purchased by César de Sá Rabello. In 1920, Henrique Lage recovered the family property and hired the Italian architect Mario Vodret to renovate the palace, integrating eclectic styles, in accordance with the tastes of his wife, the lyric singer Gabriella Besanzoni.

The palace has a central courtyard with a swimming pool and geometrically designed gardens that frame the view of Corcovado. In 1936, Gabriella founded the Brazilian Lyric Theater Society, and in 1948, her great-nephews, Marina and Arduino Colasanti, moved into the mansion. During this period, large parties were held with prominent figures of Carioca society.

Due to debts with the Bank of Brazil, Henrique Lage had to sell part of his property. Thanks to Governor Carlos Lacerda, the park was declared historical and artistic heritage, ensuring its preservation. In 1957, the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute (IPHAN) officially recognized it as a historical and cultural monument. In the 1960s, part of the land was acquired for the construction of TELE Globo's headquarters, but the area was expropriated and turned into a public park. Since 2004, the park has been part of the Tijuca National Park, under the administration of the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation.

Article obtained from Wikipedia article Wikipedia in his version of 03/10/2024, by various authors under the license Licencia de Documentación Libre GNU.