August 6, 2022

Rua Pinto Bessa 498, Porto

This post is a warning about buildings that are losing their centenary tiles in Porto

Although tiled buildings in Portugal are one of the world’s most valuable heritages, they have only been protected by law since 2017 (n.º 79/2017). Many of these tiles have been destroyed and continue to be so today.

We need your help to expose more cases like these. If you know of any building in Porto that has lost its tiles contact us here.


Rua Pinto Bessa 498, Porto

This house, “Casa Manuel de Miranda Castro”, despite being abandoned, was a great example of the styles Art Nouveau and the traditional Portuguese combined in architecture.

It was designed by the architect Francisco de Oliveira Ferreira in 1913, who added some beautiful tiles to decorate the building.

The more remarkable, a panel of hand painted tiles with a very characteristic Art Nouveau style saying the year when the house was finished, 1914.

Now all is lost forever to build an apartment building in its place. A big and sad loss for the city and its heritage.

Before / Credit Jorge Ricardo Pinto
Detail of the removed panel / Credit Eduardo Reis
After
Detail of the demolition / Credit Pedro Paiva

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