In 1846, a seed was planted. This seed was the Escola Normal da Capital, the very first normal school in São Paulo. Today, we stand before its descendant, the E.E. Caetano de Campos. The E.E. Caetano de Campos carries a legacy as rich and vibrant as the city itself. It has occupied several locations throughout its history. Its first home, a building next to the old Sé Cathedral. Later, the bustling Largo São Francisco, near the Law School, became its temporary residence. Finally, it found a grand stage on Praça da República in a magnificent building designed by Antônio Francisco de Paula Sousa and Ramos de Azevedo. The E.E. Caetano de Campos opened its doors at this iconic location in 1894. This very building served as the heart of the school until 1978.
The Praça da República building was a testament to the republican era. It was the first school building constructed during this period. Over the years, the E.E. Caetano de Campos expanded. More classrooms were added in 1896, and a third floor emerged between 1934 and 1936. By 1978, new wings provided even more space for learning. Inside these walls, primary and secondary normal courses prepared aspiring teachers. The school even had a kindergarten, a rarity in the Republic era, and the Escola Modelo for primary education. The kindergarten, opened in 1896, provided invaluable practical experience for student teachers. Interestingly, the E.E. Caetano de Campos maintained separate sections for male and female students. The boys’ section featured workshops for lathes and carpentry. Meanwhile, the girls’ side housed workshops for modeling and sculpting with clay and plaster.
The school’s resources went beyond classrooms. Annual reports from 1907 and 1908 reveal a museum boasting over 600 zoological specimens, 257 fossils, and 150 mineral specimens. There was even a Saffray school museum and equipment for teaching anatomy. By the mid-1970s, the E.E. Caetano de Campos had evolved into a multifaceted institution. It held sixty classrooms, three music rooms, four teacher’s lounges, three administrative offices, two dental offices, a medical office, open and covered patios, an auditorium, two libraries, and four guidance rooms. The basement housed the cafeteria, documentation center, and storage rooms. In 1978, the E.E. Caetano de Campos embarked on a new chapter. It moved to the Aclimação neighborhood, a modern building on the former site of the University of São Paulo’s Veterinary School. Due to concerns, a portion of the students transferred to a sub-unit at Praça Roosevelt, previously the Visconde de Porto Seguro school. The original decrees, however, remain with the Aclimação unit. The building that once housed the E.E. Caetano de Campos on Praça da República still stands. Now known as Casa Caetano de Campos, it’s home to the State Department of Education.