[1] Confeitaria Colombo was founded in 1894 by Portuguese immigrants Joaquim Borges de Meireles and Manuel José Lebrão.

Between 1912 and 1918, the interior halls were renovated with an Art Nouveau flair, with large crystal mirrors brought from Antwerp, framed by rosewood trim friezes.

An opening in the ceiling of the ground floor allows to see the skylight of the tea room, decorated with stained glass.

[2] Years after its opening, Colombo became a meeting point for Brazilian writers, artists and intellectuals of the time, such as Chiquinha Gonzaga, Olavo Bilac, Emílio de Meneses, Rui Barbosa, Villa-Lobos, Lima Barreto, José do Patrocínio, among others, being called "a branch of the Brazilian Academy of Letters".

[3] The coffeehouse was also visited by heads of state such as Getúlio Vargas, Juscelino Kubitschek, King Albert I of Belgium and Queen Elizabeth II.