With 80% of the works completed, renovation of the Lacerda Elevator will be delivered in December

The renovation work on the Elevador Lacerda, one of the most iconic tourist attractions in Salvador and an important means of transport for the population, is 80% complete.

Scheduled for delivery in December, the requalification is carried out by the Public Works Superintendence (Sucop), linked to the Municipal Infrastructure Secretariat (Seinfra), and by the Municipal Mobility Secretariat (Semob). Semob has already replaced cabins 1 and 2 of the elevator with new ones, with lighting, air conditioning and rescue motor, necessary equipment in case of problems with the main engine. At the moment, cabins 3 and 4 are being exchanged for greater comfort for elevator users.

For more than three decades selling popcorn in the Historic Center of Salvador, Aurelizio Figueiredo, 47, said he used the elevator three times a day until the service was suspended. For the popcorn maker, the reform was more than necessary. “This elevator was in danger. Every day it broke and caused problems. Better to stop, do a proper renovation and provide better service,” he says.

After the elevator was interrupted for construction work, Gildo Fortunato, owner of an antiques store, started using the Inclined Plane as a substitute. The Ribeira resident cycles to the Historic Center, where he has worked for over 30 years. According to him, the renovation of the Lacerda Elevator is also a safety issue. “This time off is a huge loss. It’s bad for those of us who work at the top, for street vendors and even for tourists. Sometimes, they [viajantes] they arrive clueless. These days, I found one that was in the middle of Ladeira da Montanha and I told him to return to Ladeira da Conceição, to take a safer route”, he said.

Orlando Castro, superintendent of Sucop, highlighted the importance of requalifying the Lacerda Elevator. “One of the new features planned in the project will be the release of the balconies located on the side spaces of the Cidade Alta access, in Praça Municipal. To this end, the A Cubana ice cream parlor, installed in Elevador Lacerda since the end of the 1930s and which is still a reference linked to the monument, will be relocated to the access hall where the Tourist Service Center currently operates”, explains. The superintendent reinforces that the action will allow us to restore the original open balcony character of the side spaces, while also improving the flow of movement for users.

Ticket offices will be implemented at the entrances to Praça Municipal and Comércio, where passengers will be able to pay the fare to board the elevator, eliminating the charge at the turnstile. The idea is to avoid the formation of long queues to access the elevators, especially at peak times.

Mobility Secretary Fabrizzio Müller highlights that the Lacerda Elevator is one of the most important historical equipment for the city. “It was one of the main responsible for the development of our city and, today, it is one of the most used means of transport by Bahians and tourists who travel between the upper and lower cities. This requalification will highlight the grandeur of this equipment.”

“We had to study the history of this monument, analyze how it was designed. We pored over all the documentation from the construction in 1873 until today. We carried out a detailed study of the entire history of Lacerda to be able to draw up the best project”, declared Tânia Scofield, president of the Mário Leal Ferreira Foundation.

According to Umeru Bahia, PhD in Social Sciences from the Federal University of Bahia, the reform cannot deprive the elevator of its roots. “In general, the disfigurement of works and heritage causes a problem, not only for the present, but for the future. From the moment it is distorted, it also creates an obstruction to knowledge and historical knowledge”, he stated.

The sociologist also added that the service, which connects the two cities, is democratic and a cultural asset that tells the history of Bahia. “The Elevador Lacerda is a landmark that defies the city’s geological fault. It combines urban mobility with history, in addition to being a source of a unique look. As the singer Riachão said: ‘It is the faithful portrait of Bahia'”, he declared.

The Lacerda Elevator was the first elevator in the world to serve as public transport and the tallest of its kind, when it was inaugurated on December 8, 1873. Initially, it was called the Conceição da Praia Hydraulic Elevator, in honor of the patron saint of Bahia.