Old Bus Terminal will host the Dance Theatre of Sao Paulo

The building, which served as the bus terminal between 1961 and 1982, will be transformed by 2014 into the Dance Theatre of São Paulo. The terminal received up to 2,500 buses per hou. Criticized for bringing crime, pollution and drug dealers since its inauguration on January 25th, 1961, the old bus station in São Paulo, opposite Praça Julio Prestes, began to be demolished at the end of March. The demolition is the first step toward building the Cultural Complex Luz, which will host the Dance Theatre of São Paulo. The demolition should be completed in October and the works will begin in January 2011. The expected opening of the complex will be in 2014.

The old terminal, closed in 1982 and whose building was expropriated in 2007 for R$ 34 million, was the scene of controversy. Since the first month of operation it was registered an immediate increase in crime in the region. A television, a rare piece in the homes of the 1970 Sao Paulo, also stood out in the old terminal; as one of the first public places to receive this equipment, the building often attracted people that just wanted to watch football matches on TV.

The Cultural Complex Lux - whose project, designed by foreign architects, was criticized by the Institute of Architects of Brazil (IAB) and was subject of controversy with the Ministry of Culture - will have three theaters, the largest one with a capacity of 1750 spectators, and will host the headquarters of the Dance Company. There will also be dance school, library, auditorium, cafe, shop, square and parking for thousand vehicles.