Village of houses is destroyed with expired demolition permit in SP A village made up of nine houses built in 1937 was demolished in Vila Mariana, in the South Zone of São Paulo, a few days after the Municipal Council for the Preservation of Historical, Cultural and Environmental Heritage of the City of São Paulo (Conpresp) rejected the request to list the properties. The case draws attention because the demolition occurred before the deadline for presenting administrative appeals against the council's decision. In a note, the City of São Paulo informed that Conpresp's decision was taken after the collegiate considered the statements of all those interested in the process. The municipal administration also confirmed that the demolition permit displayed at the site, issued in 2018, was no longer valid. According to the city hall, due to the demolition considered irregular, the nine properties in the village were embargoed. The situation raises a question: if the properties have already been demolished, what is the practical scope of the embargo announced by the municipal administration. Village of houses demolished in Vila Mariana Reproduction/TV Globo Demolition occurred on the day of Brazil's World Cup debut On the morning of Saturday, June 13th, the date of the Brazilian team's debut in the World Cup, residents of Vila Mariana were surprised by the arrival of machines at the site. While part of the population was preparing to watch the game, a backhoe began tearing down the group of houses located on Avenida Conselheiro Rodrigues Alves. According to residents, the mobilization was sudden. "We woke up to a bunch of desperate people. 'They're demolishing the town, they're demolishing the town'. We ran out," reported Denise Delfim, president of the Vila Mariana Residents' Association. Filmmaker Ana Petta stated that the operation was carried out quickly. "They did it in a way so that there was no possible reaction. Normally demolition is done in parts, separating materials." According to reports from residents, the village was completely demolished in less than three hours. City hall technicians had recommended preservation In 2024, the Department of Historical Heritage (DPH) prepared an opinion recommending the listing of the complex. In the document, the technicians stated that the village was "representative of the first forms of occupation in the region" and also a testimony to the way of living of the São Paulo middle class in the first half of the 20th century. Despite the recommendation, the process remained for more than a year without definitive assessment by Conpresp. Only on May 25 of this year was the request put to the councilors for a vote. By five votes to three, the council decided to archive the process and reject the listing. According to the minutes of the meeting, one of the justifications presented was the fact that the current owner was a religious and educational entity, which acquired the property in a context in which there were no preservationist restrictions. Also according to the document, the listing would represent a burden on the owner without a public benefit considered proportional. The decision was taken at the same meeting in which the council also approved the decommissioning of two working-class villages located in the East Zone of the capital. Demolition occurred during the appeal period, experts say The demolition was carried out just three days after the official publication of the decision. Experts interviewed by residents stated that the administrative deadline for appeals was still ongoing. "We had a completely irregular demolition, because it was within the appeal deadline," said architect and urban planner Eliana Barcelos. According to her, after the publication of the minutes of the meeting, an administrative procedure begins that provides a period of 15 days to contest the decision. “Not even that was respected,” he said. Residents claim that they called the Military Police and the city council during the demolition. According to Denise Delfim, the document presented by the responsible company was an old permit. "They showed an expired license. They fell into the conversation and left thinking it had a license." The document displayed on the construction's siding was a permit issued in 2018, without information about the total area to be demolished. In 2019, a court decision had already suspended its effectiveness, prohibiting any act of demolition, earthmoving or intervention in the landscape, under penalty of a daily fine of R$1,000. Residents mourn loss of heritage For former residents and defenders of the preservation of the complex, the demolition represents the loss of an important record of the city's urban memory. "I feel like a crime against the new generations. I lived in the village, I was the last resident with my children and I know very closely the architectural and environmental richness and the possibility of relationships that that space created", said filmmaker Ana Petta. "It was a village without a gate. I feel like a huge loss because future generations have the right to know the history and memory of the city. This village represented a memory of São Paulo." Demolition of houses in Vila Mariana Reproduction/TV Globo