The Palácio Quitandinha is a historic former luxury resort hotel in

Petrópolis Petrópolis (), also known as the Imperial City, is a municipality in the Southeast Region of Brazil. It is located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, northeast of the city of Rio de Janeiro. According to the 2022 Brazilian census, Petrópolis mun ...

State of Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil. It has the second largest economy of Brazil, with the largest being that of the state of São Paulo. The state, which has 8.2% of the Brazilian population, is responsible for 9.2% of ...

, Brazil. In 1947, the Palácio Quitandinha was the site of the

Rio Treaty The Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (commonly known as the Rio Treaty, the Rio Pact, the Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance, or by the Spanish-language acronym TIAR from ''Tratado Interamericano de Asistencia Recíproca'') is an inter ...

, attended by United States President

Harry Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

History

Designed by Italian architect Luis Fossatti, and constructed between 1941 and 1946 by Brazilian entrepreneur Joaquim Rolla, the Palácio Quitandinha is one of the most impressive architectural monuments in Petrópolis. The exterior is in the Norman-French style, while the interior is a mix of

Brazilian Baroque Brazilian commonly refers to: * Brazil, a country * Brazilians, its people * Brazilian Portuguese, its dialect Brazilian may also refer to: * "The Brazilian", a 1986 instrumental music piece by Genesis * Brazilian Café, Baghdad, Iraq (1937) * Bra ...

and

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

. The surface area of the hotel is 50 thousand square meters. It has six floors, with a 10 meter high ground floor. It has 440 rooms plus 13 suites with decor by

Dorothy Draper Dorothy Draper (November 22, 1889 – March 11, 1969) was an American interior decorator. Stylistically very anti-minimalist, she used bright, exuberant colors and large prints that encompassed whole walls. She incorporated black and white tile ...

.Life (1947)
Life magazine
p. 30, Time Inc, The hotel was, for many years, probably the second most famous hotel of the country, after the

Copacabana Palace The Copacabana Palace, A Belmond Hotel, is a historic luxury hotel in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, facing Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro#Copacabana Beach, Copacabana beach. Designed by French architect Joseph Gire, it opened on August 13, 1923. It is owne ...

hotel in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, which is only about 65 km from Petrópolis. The scenic artificial lake in front of the hotel, loosely resembling the shape of Brazil, was built to provide a source of water in the event of a fire. Quitandinha-restaurante

When it was opened as the "Cassino Hotel Quitandinha", the Palácio Quitandinha was the largest hotel casino in Latin America. Gambling had been permitted in Brazil since 1930, but it was outlawed on May 30, 1946 by decree of the federal government under president

Eurico Gaspar Dutra Eurico Gaspar Dutra (; 18 May 1883 – 11 June 1974) was a Brazilian military leader and politician who served as the 16th president of Brazil from 1946 to 1951. He was the first president of the Fourth Brazilian Republic, which followed the V ...

. The ruling outlawed all types of gambling from casinos to games of chance in Brazil. As a result, the casino closed after only two years. Notable guests who stayed at the hotel included

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian and American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Oliv ...

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...

Lana Turner Julia Jean "Lana" Turner ( ; February 8, 1921June 29, 1995) was an American actress. Over a career spanning nearly five decades, she achieved fame as both a pin-up model and a film actress, as well as for her highly publicized personal life. ...

Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor whose career spanned five decades on Broadway theatre, Broadway and in Hollywood. On screen and stage, he often portrayed characters who embodied an everyman image. Bo ...

Maurice Chevalier Maurice Auguste Chevalier (; 12 September 1888 – 1 January 1972) was a French singer, actor, and entertainer. He is best known for his signature songs, including " Livin' In The Sunlight", " Valentine", " Louise", " Mimi", and " Thank Heaven f ...

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress and a premier star during Hollywood's Silent film, silent and early Classical Hollywood cinema, golden eras. Regarded as one of the g ...

Carmen Miranda Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha (9 February 1909 – 5 August 1955), known professionally as Carmen Miranda (), was a Portuguese-born Brazilian singer, dancer, and actress. Nicknamed "The Brazilian Bombshell", she was known for her signature ...

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

, politicians like

Eva Perón María Eva Duarte de Perón (; ; 7 May 1919 – 26 July 1952), better known as Eva Perón or by the nickname Evita (), was an Argentine politician, activist, actress, and philanthropist who served as First Lady of Argentina from June 1946 until ...

and president

Getúlio Vargas Getúlio Dornelles Vargas (; ; 19 April 1882 – 24 August 1954) was a Brazilian lawyer and politician who served as the 14th and 17th president of Brazil, from 1930 to 1945 and from 1951 until his suicide in 1954. Due to his long and contr ...

of Brazil and king

Carol II of Romania Carol II (4 April 1953) was King of Romania from 8 June 1930, until his forced abdication on 6 September 1940. As the eldest son of King Ferdinand I, he became crown prince upon the death of his grand-uncle, King Carol I, in 1914. He was the f ...

. The hotel eventually closed in 1962 and its rooms were sold as private residences in 1963. The imposing façade and the scenic surrounding of the hotel makes it an important tourist attraction itself. The building's enormous public areas were restored by SESC, a Brazilian commerce organization which had taken them over, beginning in 2007.

Gallery

File:Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 07.jpg, Detail of the facade and balconies, surrounded by local vegetation. File:Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 05.jpg, View from the back. File:Palacio_Quitandinha.JPG, Wide view of Palácio Quitandinha, surrounded by gardens. File:Lago do Quitandinha.jpg, The lake in front of the building, with the structure reflected in the water. File:Sesc Quitandinha.jpg, Main entrance of Sesc Quitandinha, highlighting its architectural style. File:Butorides striata striata in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 08.jpg, Striated heron near the lake. File:Hydrochoeris hydrochaeris in Brazil in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 09.jpg, Capybara resting by the lake.

References

External links

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Casinos in Brazil - Photos, Videos and Facts About Quitandinha Palace Casino

Living in Quitandinha
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palacio Quitandinha Hotels in Brazil Hotel buildings completed in 1944 Hotels established in 1944 Convention centres in Brazil Defunct hotels Buildings and structures in Petrópolis Tourist attractions in Rio de Janeiro (state) 1946 establishments in Brazil Casinos in Rio de Janeiro Defunct casino hotels in Brazil