Home to some of São Paulo’s most prominent cultural institutions, Consolação is a district in the city’s central Sé borough. It is a popular residential area, with upmarket apartments and condominiums, and was once renowned for its São Paulo Modern style of architecture.
While many of Consolação’s historic mansions have today made way for modern developments, a few elegant examples remain, including the former Prado family mansion which is now used by the University of São Paulo's College of Architecture and Urbanism. The district is also home to the Central University of Maria Antonia, Mackenzie Presbyterian University and the São Paulo Foundation School of Sociology and Politics, together with Cultura Inglesa which teaches English language and culture. Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado is also situated within its bounds and houses the Museum of Brazilian Art while hosting lectures and talks from prominent international figures. Numerous shopping malls, boutiques and restaurants are scattered throughout Consolação, together with bars, nightclubs and art cinemas along its former red light district of Rua Augusta. It leads east to the leafy green expanse of Parque Augusta which provides a tranquil escape for residents in the area.
Consolação is served by a metro station of the same name on Avenida Paulista which runs along its western boundary, as well as Estação Paulista do Metro on Rua da Consolação on its northern edge. Public buses also traverse the neighbourhood, particularly along the east-west thoroughfare of Rua Augusta.
The area that is now Consolação was once known as Sesmaria of Pacaembu and inhabited by a large Jesuit community, before being transformed into a residential area for upper-class Paulistanos. It came to be nicknamed Higienópolis or "City of Hygiene” for its clean, wide streets which lay far from the clamour of the old city centre.