Grande Hotel Beira
| Grande Hotel da Beira | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Type | Former hotel, now a vertical slum |
| Architectural style | Art Deco, Modernist |
| Location | Crossing Rua Alonso De Paiva and Avenida Sansão Muthemba, Beira, Mozambique |
| Country | Mozambique |
| Coordinates | 19°50′50″S 34°50′26″E / 19.84722°S 34.84056°ECoordinates: 19°50′50″S 34°50′26″E / 19.84722°S 34.84056°E |
| Elevation | 10 m (33 ft) |
| Current tenants | Squatted |
| Completed | 1954 |
| Inaugurated | 1955 |
| Cost | 90,000$00 Portuguese Escudo (estimated: 30,000$00) |
| Client | Companhia de Moçambique |
| Owner | Gruppo Entreposto SA |
| Height | 25 m (82 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 4 |
| Floor area | 21,000 m2 (230,000 sq ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | José Porto, Francisco de Castro |
The Grande Hotel Beira was a luxury hotel in Beira, Mozambique. It was opened in 1954 and operated until 1963, when it was closed due to lack of guests. The building was used as a military base in the Mozambican Civil War, and it is currently home to 1,077 squatters.
In 1932, the urban plan of Ponta Gêa was designed by the architect brothers Rebelo de Andrade, and the plan included a hotel with an Olympic swimming pool in a spot overlooking the Indian Ocean, the mouth of the Buzi River and the sea harbour of Beira. Architect José Porto of the Gabinete de Urbanização Colonial produced the original concept design for the hotel; and in 1953, the Companhia de Moçambique commissioned architect Fransico de Castro to develop the original design and the final detailing. At the time, the Companhia de Moçambique had the concession to exploit the area now known as the provinces of Manica and Sofala. When the concession ended in 1942, the Companhia still owned local businesses and continued to dominate the local economy. One of its directors was Antonio Arantes e Oliveira, who was a brother of the future Mozambican governor-general and had a close connection with the fascist Portuguese dictator, Salazar. Arthur Brandão was the chief officer of the Companhia and also held a prominent position within the Salazar regime.
Although Beira was a Portuguese colony, it had been influenced culturally by Britain due to the neighbouring British colony of Rhodesia's use of its sea harbour. The Portuguese Estado Novo and the ending of the Companhia concession gave rise to increased Portuguese influence throughout the city: the Portuguese Escudo became the only official currency, the government became dominated by the fascist Salazar regime, and the streetscape changed with the new Art Deco and Modern Movement architecture. The Grande Hotel became a symbol of the success of the Estado Novo in Beira, as it was intended to provide luxury accommodation for VIPS, business travelers, and wealthy tourists from Rhodesia, South Africa, and from Portugal or its colonies.
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