Casa dos Bicos — José Saramago Foundation
- Original Authors:
- Francisco de Arruda
- (1523)
- Interventions:
- José Daniel Santa-Rita ,
- Manuel Vicente
- (1981)
- João Santa-Rita
- (2011)
In the riverside area of Campo das Cebolas, integrated between the old settlement of Alfama and the grid street plan of Baixa Pombalina, Casa dos Bicos was built by Brás de Albuquerque, son of the first Viceroy of India. It is known for its unique façade covered with a mesh of ‘diamond points’, commonly known as ‘bicos’, inspired by Italian Renaissance models. The 1755 earthquake left it quite degraded, and thereafter, following a partial reconstruction, it housed a codfish trade until the 20th century. In 1983, on the occasion of the XVII European Exhibition of Arts, Science and Culture, Manuel Vicente and Daniel Santa-Rita recovered the global volumes and proposed, based on historical documentation, an essay on the memory of what had disappeared. Later subject to restoration works, it now houses the José Saramago Foundation and an archaeological centre.
#Building
Address
Avenida António José de Almeida, 42
Get Directions
Public Transportation
Bus: 12E, 15E, 28E, 714, 728, 732, 759, 760, 794
Subway: Terreiro do Paço
Typology
Civic Facilities
Photos
Photography allowed