Vida e morte do Hotel Esplanada, de Paulo Casé, em Fortaleza

Abstract

At the end of 2014 it was announced the end of the “Hotel Esplanada” in Fortaleza (Ceará-Brazil) as a result of the acquisition of the building by Ivens Dias Branco businessman to build, in its place, a unique real estate development in Beira Mar Avenue. The demolition occurred in stages, representing a slow “death”, which was gradually fading away an icon of modern architecture hotel in Fortaleza. “Hotel Esplanada”, 1978 - design by architect Paul Casé from Rio - was born in Fortaleza’s seafront as the tallest building of Beira-Mar and the first luxury hotel in town. In this context, this paper aims to investigate the role of “Hotel Esplanada” in the face of socio-spatial dynamics related to tourism and real estate in Fortaleza, from its construction to its demolition, emphasizing its architectural values and exposing the vulnerability of the modern built heritage in relation to contemporary urban dynamics. The relevance of the work is justified by the need to discuss the relationship between tourism and modern architecture, rescuing the role and legacy of important examples of hotel typology in modernity and raising questions about aspects of conservation, permanence and preservation nowadays.