GCM
The former Calle Real of Sabana Grande, an old road connecting the city center with the haciendas to the east, dates from 1783. In 1852 Sabana Grande became a parish and in 1881 it was crossed by the third tram line known as El Central, with stops in La Campiña and Sabana Grande. Around 1960 it started to fill up with luxury shops, restaurants and cafes that converted the place into an urban epicenter and meeting place, where intellectuals and personalities gathered in places like the Gran Café, where Henri Charriere, alias «Papillon» presumably wrote his memoirs. With the construction of metro Line 1, the old Avenida Lincoln was paved, making it a privileged boulevard for pedestrians, from Chacaíto to Avenida Las Acacias in front of La Previsora Tower. Invaded by in-formal trade for years, a public competition to restore the boulevard was sponsored in 2009 by PDVSA La Estancia, from which the pavement designed by Elisa Silva (awarded in the VIII Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism Cádiz, 2012) was built. The proposal, which evened up the sidewalk and street levels, gave the urban space more value. However the iconic store signs, with aesthetic value and weight in the memory of Caracas, disappeared on the grounds of cleaning up the view. Today the boulevard displays white textile awnings that give the pedestrians shade and alternate with artwork and play elements along its entire length.
NE-33