Perhaps the most unique thing about Urca is its name. Some say Urca comes from the development company Urbanização Carioca. But others say the name Urca was on maps in the 1700s. “Urca” once meant a small cargo ship.
Urca is a special place in Rio de Janeiro. It is a traditional and wealthy area. Nearly 7000 people live here. Most of Urca was built in the 1920s. But some parts are much older.
Here in Urca, in 1565, the Portuguese made their first settlement. Estácio de Sá founded it. This is now the Forte São João. Twelve years before, the French tried to settle nearby. They called it France Antarctique. The Portuguese defeated the French. They expelled them from Villegagnon Island. Rua São Sebastião may be Rio’s oldest street. It runs from the fort to the old Urca casino. It was once a trail along the sea.
Building in Rio was hard because of the land. In the 1880s, a company wanted to build here. It was called Urbanização Carioca or Urca. But legal problems delayed the work. After World War I, they began to fill the bay. The first houses in Urca were built in 1922. A casino was built to compete with the Copacabana Palace hotel.
Urca still looks like it did in the 1920s. Old photos show how the area was divided. There were low sea walls and small trees. Urca is beautiful and well-planned. It does not have the overdevelopment that hurt other areas. The developers divided Urca into lots. They sold them to investors. Many were European immigrants. The middle class often chose the Copacabana neighborhood. The military presence here also kept richer people away. Many people in Urca today are related to the first families.
As you stroll around Urca, you can see how it grew. Most houses were built from the 1920s to the 1940s. You will spot art deco houses. You will see Spanish colonial style houses. Locals call them Manuelino style. There are also mock Tudor houses. Avenida Luis Alves has some apartment buildings from the 1950s and 1960s. Rua Marechal Cantuária has changed the most. But even it has not changed much since the 1960s. Filmmakers often use Urca to film movies set in the past.
The Urca casino was very popular. Carmen Miranda was discovered here. A Hollywood producer saw her singing in 1938. She lived on Rua São Sebastião. The casino even played a part in astrophysics history. Scientists at the casino studied how stars cool. They named their model after the casino. Like money at the roulette table, energy disappeared fast. In 1946, casinos became illegal. The Cassino da Urca closed. TV Tupi bought the building.
TV Tupi changed the casino a lot. They built a new front facing the beach. The curved outside became a plain rectangle. The TV Tupi studio was famous for the Chacrinha program. This variety show ran for years. If you were on Chacrinha, you were famous. The older people in Urca did not like the crowds of teenagers. They were happy when the studios closed. The old casino was left to decay until 2008. Now, it is being renovated into a design institute.
Many Brazilian musicians and artists live in Urca. Roberto Carlos lives in a penthouse here. He is Catholic and sometimes sings in Urca’s only church.
Forte São João welcomes visitors on weekday afternoons. Just say you want to visit the Museu do Forte. The fort has walls from the 1600s. There are also original cannons. But the best part is the location. Sugar Loaf rises behind the fort. Next to the fort are art deco buildings. There is a football field here. Sugar Loaf is behind one goal. The fort is behind the other. The beach runs along one side. It is a spectacular place to play football.
Urca is a neighborhood with a rich history. From its debated beginnings to its famous residents, Urca offers a unique glimpse into Rio’s past and present.