in the middle of 20th century rio de janeiro was experiencing rapid growth, causing a number of social challenges. a serious of projects was initiated in response and to facilitate better community develoment.

the area commonly known as 'aterro do flamengo' (flamengo embankment) was one such project - originally conceived to address the lack of communal recreational areas and to bring in a new avenue which would allow the traffic to flow better. the dismantling of the santo antónio hill opened up more space for the city's expansion and provided the materials needed to create this new area.