Welcome to the JB Building,
Part of São Paulo’s historical heritage
As one strolls along the pedestrian precinct in São Paulo’s historic center among its huge skyscrapers, it is difficult to ignore the presence of a “small” 11-story building located at Rua João Brícola, 59, a quiet street right in the heart of the old city center. The building’s striking façade not only arouses curiosity but also invites viewers to travel back in time.
Welcome to the JB Building! Formed by two large green iron doors, its entrance is adorned with square frames in green and gold finish, classic door knockers and 13 large golden coins, which stand out for their rich designs. The pieces are historical representations of old Brazilian coins dating back from an 11th-century Réis coin to a 20-cent Cruzeiro coin from the 1940s.
This is why the JB Building was at first popularly nicknamed “Casa da Moeda” (“Mint”), even though it never actually housed a mint. Its initials stand for João Brícola.
Listed as a historical heritage building of São Paulo in 1992, the JB Building is now restored, reopened and preserved by B3.
Below are some more interesting facts about the JB Building.
About the JB Building
Construction took two years to complete between 1953 and 1955. The 11-story building was built by Leandro Dupré Construções. It originally housed the headquarters of Banco Itaú S.A. and was inaugurated on February 25, 1956, as shown in this clipping from Correio Paulistano Newspaper1.
The building housed Banco Itaú’s headquarters until mid-1967. In July that year, following several mergers and acquisitions, the bank moved its headquarters to another location in the city center. From then on, the JB Building housed several other companies, especially financial institutions, as it stands in a privileged location in the economic heart of the city of São Paulo.
1Correio Paulistano Newspaper. February 26, 1956. page 5. Digital Newspaper Library. Fundação Biblioteca Nacional.
More recently, the building housed Banco Clássico and Shopping Galeria Boulevard, a shopping arcade. After that, it was left abandoned until 2019, when it was acquired by B3 and renovation efforts began as part of the revitalization of São Paulo’s Historic Center.
In 2022, the JB Building’s restoration was completed and the building was reopened by B3, the Brazilian stock exchange, with its iconic entrance hall open to the public and the upper floors used for offices.
1Correio Paulistano Newspaper Year 1956\Issue 30,645 – http://memoria.bn.br/DocReader/docreader.aspx?bib=090972_10&pasta=ano%20195&pesq=&pagfis=30172.
Acervo em Movimento Exhibition
B3 – Brazilian Exchange opens its doors to host the third temporary exhibition of the Collection on the Move series. For decades, B3 has gathered a significant art collection, including more than 1,000 works by 200 Brazilian artists.
As a way of promoting the national art production, B3 showcases its collection to the public through temporary exhibitions that reveal the fertile field of visual proposals of Brazilian art from the 19th and 20th centuries.
WALDOMIRO SANT’ANNA - DAILY ROUTINES
The current Collection on the Move exhibit Waldomiro Sant’anna - Daily Routines brings to light a theme that the artist often addresses in his productions – people’s everyday life routine. What do people do every day? What makes the city move? How do people relate to space? The 20 selected works invite us to travel through landscapes where leisure and work coexist.
Waldomiro Sant’anna’s art has a style that can be categorized as modern figurative, or lyrical expressionism, as Pedro Manuel Gismondi named it. Sant’anna portrays the simplicity of the fact with a clear light and shadow play. He brings with him a feeling of belonging and comfort in an almost dreamlike tone about the place, where it is possible to see the subtle passing of life in his works.
CURIOSITIES ABOUT THE JB BUILDING
Part of São Paulo’s Historical Heritage
The JB Building was listed in 1992, along with the Brazilian Securities, Commodities and Futures Exchange (currently B3) located at Praça Antônio Prado, and the former headquarters of Banco Novo Mundo at Rua João Brícola, 372.
Detail of the building’s door knockers.
2SÃO PAULO CITY GOVERNMENT. SÃO PAULO CITY COUNCIL FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE HISTORICAL, CULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL HERITAGE. Resolution 37/92. Link: https://www.prefeitura.sp.gov.br/cidade/upload/d475b_37_T_Vale_do_Anhangabau.pdf.
Coins arranged on the façade
The coins laid out on the JB Building’s façade represent various periods of Brazilian monetary history totaling 13 reproductions. The arrangement of some of the coins is not fully correct with the heads and tails properly paired. However, there are no known records of possible changes to the position of the coins on the façade over the decades.
1Photos: B3 Collection.
The building’s restored façade remains preserved by B3.
Interior architecture
Not only are the façades of the JB Building listed. The building’s interiors from the ground floor to the 2nd floor are also listed. All its interior architecture was restored, thus maintaining the original design.
Main lobby during restoration works.
Main lobby upon restoration completion.
2Photos: B3 Collection
Panel paintings
According to the newspaper Tribuna da Imprensa of February 27, 1956, the spacious entrance hall was originally decorated with eight wall panel paintings by Clóvis Graciano on Brazil’s economic history. Of the eight panels painted by the artist, only one remains, which is now displayed on the 3rd floor of the JB Building.
To preserve the building’s history, B3 hired restoration specialists. After meticulous work, the panel gained color and life. As a complement, a lighting system was installed to enhance the details of the work even further. See below.
The only remaining Clóvis Graciano panel painting before and during restoration.
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Panel before restoration.
3Photo: B3 Collection
Netflix series set
The JB Building is cinematic, and that's not a figure of speech. The street where the building is located, as well as its façade and main lobby, served as the location for scenes from the second season of the Netflix series 3%, released in 2018.
4Stills from the Netflix series “3%”.
Who was João Brícola?
The street where the JB Building is located was named after João Brícola, a prominent member of the Italian community in São Paulo in the late 19th century. João Brícola initially made his fortune as a food dealer supplying some major establishments in São Paulo State. Later, he became an important banker.
João Brícola died in 1914 and left a large part of his fortune and assets to the Santa Casa de São Paulo, a city hospital where he was a treasurer and great benefactor. Among the assets was the Palacete Brícola, a mansion located at Praça Antonio Prado in São Paulo’s city center. The mansion was later demolished, making way for the Altino Arantes Building, known in the late 1940s as Banespão, now Farol Santander.
After João Brícola’s death, he was honored for his philanthropic services by the São Paulo City Council with an honorary street name – Rua João Brícola.
Figura 5 Portrait by Nicolo Petrilli, João Brícola, 1914., oil on canvas, 120 X 85cm.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR VISIT
Thank you for visiting the JB Building and learning a little more about the history of this heritage site in São Paulo.
In an ever-changing country like Brazil, B3 has a responsibility that goes beyond encouraging good corporate practices and developing the Brazilian capital markets.
We also seek to strengthen Brazil by democratizing access to culture. Our initiatives range from supporting art exhibitions and cultural venues to preserving our architectural heritage by working to revitalize São Paulo’s Historic Center.
We cherish our most valuable asset – millions of Brazilians committed to transforming ideas into actions and attitudes.
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Learn about the new B3 Museum
Did you enjoy learning about the history of the JB Building?
How about getting to know other B3’s memory preservation initiatives now?
We therefore invite you to visit MUB3, the Brazilian Stock Exchange Museum, situated a few steps from the JB Building at Rua XV de Novembro, 275.
MUB3 was born from the desire to preserve and share the history of Brazilian capital markets by bringing together a rich collection that tells the history of Brazil’s stock exchanges, investments and their impact on society.
To learn more, visit:
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