Almeida Ribeiro Avenue
The Almeida Ribeiro Avenue or San Ma Lou was opened in 1915 to link the western residential area called “Praia Grande” with the main Chinese commercial center, the Inner Harbor.
In order to open this road, all the urban fabric between these two harbors was cut, in a strait line, leaving the Senado Square as the central point. This road created the “Cardus Decumanus” of the city, reinforcing the concept of the Senado Square as the “corporate image” of Macau, easily recognized as the urban soul of the city.
The new avenue display a variety of the 20th century styles, as Art Nouveau, neoclassic, international style. Nevertheless the urban fabric layout in the “Chinese area” (from the Inner Harbor to Senado Square) , started in 1911 had keep the structure of long and deep houses with a 4-5 meters front façade.
In 1922 the “western half” was opened after decided to level the small hill, former pathway of the Rua da Se (Catedral Street) and Rua Direita (meaning the straight or right), the former main road of “medieval urban” Macau.
By this way, the main road had changed its orientation in 90 degrees. Curiously the Cathedral itself also had rotate 90 degrees in 1844, now looking North.
In 1999 the streetscape in the western haft was revised and improved through the paving with the famous Portuguese cobblestones in its sidewalks and the use of decorative classic public light lamppost, recreating a intimate pedestrian scale and ambience.
This revival reinforced the quality and dignity of the city center, in which the main focus is Senado Square, now a exclusive pedestrian zones that give unity inside the walking range of the Historical Center.
1784, conjectural reconstruction based in 1830 Chinnery sketches
