the idea for a national literacy academy was born in the late nineteenth century, with the hope of emulating a french academy, which was already in existence.  the brazilian journal of jose verissimo was achieving social and cultural success at this time, which gave the idea reputability, and so the institution was born in 1897, as the first brazilian academy of letters.

based in the culturally important downtown district of the city, the academia brasileira de letras is split between two buildings, the petit trianon and the palácio austregésilo de athayde.