Sobrado (architecture)

Featuring typically two floors with a balcony, the sobrados were the residences of urban notable people, particularly in the former colonial capital of Brazil, Salvador.

They are also found in Cape Verde, particularly in São Filipe on the Fogo island,[1] and Angola, in Luanda.

In the previous period, an antagonism existed between the casa-grandes and the slave quarters, where the houseowners contrasted with the housekeepers who belonged to the poorer strata of society.

The expression arose naturally from the houses built in the cities of Minas Gerais (especially during the Gold Cycle), usually characterized by a topography typically called mar de morros (Portuguese: "sea of hills"): the constructions were carried out from the highest level of the street, so that there was "a space" under the main floor of the building.

Over time, this lower level came to be considered the ground floor, characterizing these "maisonettes".