How Do You Build a Whole New Capital City in 41 Months?

The Untold Story

How do you build a brand-new capital city? Brazil did it in 41 months.

Brazil’s capital had been Rio de Janeiro. The new one would rise in the central west of the country.

Its president had promised fifty years of progress in five. This city was the centerpiece.

Planner Lúcio Costa won the design contest and drew the city’s master plan.

Architect Oscar Niemeyer designed most of its public buildings, including its Congress.

By 1960, Brasília was Brazil’s capital: a whole new capital city, built in 41 months. Follow along for more history built against the clock.

Historical Discussion

Construction began in February 1957, and 41 months later Brazil had a new capital. Would you have moved there in 1960?

What are your thoughts on this event? Share your perspective in the discussion or follow Echoes of History Uncut for daily forgotten archives.

What the Record Shows

11 sourced claims in this story, resting on 11 sources. Numbers link to the bibliography below.

• Brasília was built as the new capital of Brazil - sources: 6, 1, 11
• Construction of Brasilia began in February 1957 and was completed 41 months later - sources: 4, 1
• Brasilia replaced Rio de Janeiro as the national capital of Brazil - sources: 1, 6, 10
• Brasilia was created as the Brazilian capital in the central western part of the country - sources: 5, 1
• President Juscelino Kubitschek’s slogan was Fifty Years in Five, meaning 50 years of progress in five - sources: 4, 1
• Brasilia was the cornerstone of President Kubitschek’s agenda, part of his national modernization project - sources: 4, 5
• Lúcio Costa won the competition to design the master plan of Brasilia - sources: 2, 7, 8, 1
• Oscar Niemeyer was the chief architect of most of the public buildings of Brasilia - sources: 1, 9, 10
• Oscar Niemeyer designed the National Congress building in Brasilia - sources: 3, 9, 10
• Brasília was created as the capital of Brazil from 1956 to 1960 - sources: 5, 1
• Brasília was built in 41 months - sources: 4, 1

Verified Archival Sources & Bibliography

Every claim in this account has been fact-checked against primary archives and scholarly repositories:

1. Wikipedia: Brasília (reference)
2. Wikipedia: Lúcio Costa (reference)
3. Wikipedia: Oscar Niemeyer (reference)
4. Brown University Library, Brazil: Five Centuries of Change - Juscelino Kubitschek (primary)
5. UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Brasilia (primary)
6. Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), February 14, 1960: Brazil’s Controversial New Capital - Chronicling America (primary)
7. The New York Times: Lucio Costa Is Dead at 96; Planned Futuristic Brasilia (1998) (news)
8. The Washington Post: Lucio Costa Dies at 96 (1998) (news)
9. The New York Times: Oscar Niemeyer, Modernist Architect of Brasília, Dies at 104 (2012) (news)
10. BBC News: Niemeyer’s Brasilia - Does it work as a city? (2012) (news)
11. Journal of Urban History: Modernist Civic Space and the Case of Brasília (book)

Recommended Archival Reading & Audiobooks

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