O patrimônio arquitetônico do município do Rio Grande/RS, memória, descaso e esquecimento: o caso da Fábrica Rheingantz.

Abstract

Nowadays, the terms memory and patrimony extrapolate the academic scope. Despite this, the preservation of cultural heritage in Brazil is still very difficult. It is not different in the city of Rio Grande. Since the implementation of the Naval Pole in 2006, more than 10 billion in investments have given the city great visibility, attracting companies and workers from all over the country. Nevertheless, these investments and the consequent increase in the tax collection of the city did not reflect in the care with the cultural patrimony of the Rio-grandinos. On the contrary, economic growth has brought with it the need to expand the spaces for housing, commerce, and services. Thus, the process of destruction and disfigurement of old mansions, centenary industries, and squares was accelerated. At present, more than 75% of the 509 inventoried buildings in the city are abandoned, in ruins or are invisible to the population’s eyes. Therefore based on the concept of patrimony as the preserver of memory, and the need to maintain physical space as a memory support, this study aims to verify the oblivion, making a link to the need of preserving material heritage, by questioning: will the neglect for architectural cultural heritage, and the invisibility and/or disappearance of the places of memory in the Rio Grande lead to oblivion? For such, this study is based mainly on the theoretical references of Halbwachs and Nora, and it tries to demonstrate that the neglect with the cultural patrimony can lead to oblivion. We used a case study in this research, in addition to a method of comparative deductive approach, and field procedures. As the object of research, we used the only Rio Grande’s architectural heritage listed by IPHAE: the Rheingantz Factory. The choice is due to the strife between managers, real estate agents and the population of the Rio Grande about the use of the 155 thousand square meters of the old factory. The possibility of overthrowing the housing complex has generated many concerns: is the Rheingantz Factory complex the identity of Rio Grande’s people? The more time goes by without the listing becomes effective protection, and the generation that worked in the Rheingantz's golden age “disappears”, will its historical and symbolic significance diminish until it vanishes? Are we already living the period of oblivion in the case of Rheingantz Factory? In order to fully achieve the objectives, we applied photographic records of 509 cultural assets, and 500 questionnaires in November and December 2010. The process was repeated in April and May 2015, in order to contrast the data. The results showed that the difference between the number of people who prefer the construction of a residential neighborhood, and the maintenance of the old factory buildings increased by more than 180% compared to the 2010 survey. Currently, 34% of respondents believe that the best alternative to the ruins of the complex is the overthrow and construction of a residential condominium, while in 2010 they were 12%. This information demonstrates that the patrimonial value of the first industry in the State of Rio Grande do Sul is diminishing rapidly, and we can affirm that we are living the oblivion era of the Rheingantz Factory.