The beginning of the story
1940's
Fernanda d'Abreu and Fernando Neto met as children, at the age of 10.
She grew up amidst the freedom and vastness of Brazil, but as she had lost her father, she reconnected with her roots in Matosinhos, alongside her maternal family.
He, the son of a master fisherman and owner of fishing vessel, was always more reserved, and this shyness made the beginning of their courtship difficult.
In 1947, they were married at the Church of Bom Jesus de Matosinhos, which can be seen from the privileged view of the balcony of Casa d'Abreu Neto.
"D'Abreu" came from Maria Fernanda's maternal side; "Neto" from Manuel Fernando's paternal lineage.
The vision was born from her, and he joined her dream. Together, they built the family home - a desire that began with the feminine and became the pride of the entire d'Abreu Neto family.
The novelty of Matosinhos:
The beginning of the project
Once again, it was the feminine tht opened tha way: the much-desired plot of land on Avenida Dom Afonso Henriques, in Matosinhos, belonged to one of her cousin. He handled the business well; she was already sketching in her mind and on papar the house she dreamed of, and he confirmed it with a simple "yes". The land was divided - and thus "As Quatro Casas” were born.
But without the First House, there could be no numbering.
The Siza Vieira were of Matosinhos and one of the sons was studying architecture. He was 21 years old and not yet an architect. That is why only 55 years later, Álvaro Siza Vieira signed the project with a remark: “At the time, I could not sign because I was not an architect.”
It was through conversations, debates and discussions - amidst the doubts and scepticism of mother, father, daughter, son and architect - that, during the execution of the project, Siza earned the nickname “Our Architect”.
Only this family calls him that. They were the first, they have that right.
But for those who embark together on an adventure where the horizon is still incomprehensible , it is not easy. Novelty is, first of all, synonymous with criticism. What is different is, first of all, synonymous with curiosity. Expectations naturally develop: the couple wanted to have the house of their dreams and adored by all. Siza wanted to be accepted as an architect and with a very distinctive language.
“Palheiros”; “ Cages of Crickets”; “Little Shacks” - the ugliest houses in Matosinhos.
A project that was paid in three installments of 3,500 escudos and about which everything was said: innovations in carpentry and exotic woods; fittings and lamps designed by the architect himself; ochre glass tiles, a sculptural chimney and a serving hatch from the kitchen to the dining room; a granite step and marble countertops; a ten-metre veranda; an ergonomic iron handrail.
The d'Abreu Neto family
and the House
1950's
28 May 1957. The House is inaugurated.
The architect himself marked it forever with an engraving on a cement beam where one can read “MCMLVI” (1956).
The main entrance on Rua Dr. Filipe Coelho is surrounded by a small garden, which encircles the house and contains trees and flowers planted by the original owner of the house. In the garden, a plaque was also placed in tribute to the "faithful friends" who accompanied the family and the house over the years.
A chicken coop, which was recently replaced by a laundry room, a terrace that serves as a roof over the garage, and a courtyard that provides a service entrance from de main avenue.
This entrance leads to the kitchen, with a sculptural chimney in glass tile, nicknamed "Língua da Sogra" (mother-in-law's tongue). A room, once used "for sewing" and now The Marias' Room, was where sewing was done during the day, and at night it served as the maid's bedroom.
The Fernanda Room, also an office adjoining the entrance hall, is now a space dedicated to "Our Architect". The former shoe cabinet is currently used for storage. The charismatic dining and living rooms, situated on differents levels, are connected to the first floor by an emblematic staircase - the only one free of iron fittings.
A mezzanine - which the family affectionately calls a gallery - serves as a confluence for the bedrooms and bathroom. From there, a stained-glass window opens onto one of the "Quatro Casas", through which the lady of the house and her sister-in-law would exchange words in prayers to Saint Barbara, specially when storms were approaching.
On the first floor are the d'Abreu Neto Room, the Boys' Room and the Fernando Room, all facing and with access to the iconic balcony overlooking the avenue. The Guest Room, on the other hand, faces the garden and one of the other "Quatro Casas".
Continuing the fluidity of spaces, access to the ground floor can once again be made via another staircase, this one a spiral, with an ergonomic iron handrail, formerly painted black and now grey - a choice by Álvaro Siza in recent refurbishment carried out in 2022/2023.
The Helm, which rests on the balcony wall honouring its origins, the Belvedere, erected out of an ergonomic need of the lady of the house, and the chicken coop, which eventually gave way to the current laundry, were choices made almost 70 years ago by Siza's first clients.
Today, these choise have unquestionably become part of the house, equally embraced by the architect during the refurbishment, allegedly because they were already considered part of the house.
A frustrated attempt by the author of the project to create exclusive furniture and decorate the house in the 1950s has now finally been put into practice, with great taste and to the satisfaction of both client and architect.
The lives of the House
1960's
In the course of the 1960s and 1970s, however, the house experienced many lives.
The owner transformed the study into his refuge of collections and secrets.
The lady of the house devoted herself to the kitchen, where she perfected recipes, and proved herself a master of knitting, crochet and sewing.
The daughter, in turn, would convert the dining and sitting rooms into an improvised "boîte", where, surrounded by friends, she let vinyl records of rock, twist and blues fill the air.
The son found in the garden his own territory of toy car races and marble games.
The granddaughter would swing on the seesaw, gallop up and down the stairs and amuse herself with the roosters and other animals of the house.
Finally, the great- granddaughter lived the magic of receiving from her great-uncle a "rain" of chocolates and sweets that fell down the stairs of the sitting room, like a spectacle of enchantment.
Christmases, Baptisms, birthdays and the Festvities of Senhor de Matosinhos were spend there with family members, friends and guests.
The first technological objects - a black dial telephone and a black-and-white television - also found their place in the sitting room, the gallery and the bedrooms.
The lamps designed by Siza were also affectionately nicknamed "helmets" by the family.
Casa d'Abreu Neto opens its balcony to all
2000's
With the creation of the Casa da Arquitectura, in 2011, the owner of the house approached the institution with a special request: that the plan should finally be signed by Álvaro Siza.
The wish was fulfilled and the author of the project wrote: "with 55 years' delay - at the time i could not sign because i was not yet an architect."
Later, in 2013, with the passing of the lady of the house, a profound emptiness settled upon the family. However, those who remained came together, reorganising themselves with commitment and dedication to carry forward the legancy left behind.
Since 2016, Open House Porto has invited the family to open its doors to visitors. Every year, more than 500 people are welcomed over a weekend, with the support of volunteers and guidance from architects sush as António Choupina and João Rapagão.
In 2017, the family invested in a profound restoration of the exterior of the house to highlight its uniqueness, aways remaining faithful to its originality: woods, gateV, walls and stones. That year, six decades after having first been lived in, the balcony rediscovered its essence and once again breathed life.
That same year, two interviews took place: one for TSF and another for Expresso, in witch Valdemar Cruz dedicated a feature to Siza's first client - one of the most widely read of all time - "Meet the First Victim of Álvaro Siza Vieira". Fernando Neto, then aged 93, was interview and, with lucidity and a sparkle in his eyes, shared all his memories in the greatest detail. The title "The First Victim" was coined by Siza, inspired by a moment of spontaneous humor with Maria Manuel, when asked for an autograph for an exhibition catalogue.
Transformation of
Casa D'Abreu Neto
Curiously, Maria Manuel, the current person responsible for the rehabilitation project, is the one to whom the house means the most within the whole family. She was born there, grew up, lived her childhood, held parties and birthdays, studied, celebrated Christmases and New Year's Eves in this house. She lived in the house until the age of 10, when she went to live permanently with her parents. yet she was never separated physically or mentally from the place where she had been so happy.
Siza left deep and indelible marks on the d'Abreu Neto family. Proof of this is revealed when, at school, the great-granddaughter at just 11 years old was invited to write about "The book of Memories i would like to read". Her choise was clear: she wrote a text about the construction of her great-parents' house - Siza's first work - interweaving the experiences lived at the time with the different personalities of the architect and her ancestors.
The House is made up of marble, exotic woods, lamps and door handles designed for the space, but above all it is made up of great respect, trust, communication, affection and love.
2019
The visit of the Architect
Fernando Neto wished to preserve the heritage in its highest spirit and dignity. It was his desire that work and legacy should be perpetuated into the future, and it wsa at that moment that Maria Manuel also began to envisage the future of that house in a more consistent way, safeguarding and protecting its heritage.
It was in this process that Fernando Neto insisted on a visit from Architect Siza, as he had not returned to the house since 1957.
In 2019, the renowned Italian architecture magazine “Casabella” dedicated an exclusive edition to the Quatro Casas project, entitled “Siza antes do Siza. Álvaro Siza L’Opera Prima”, nº 896.
Since its origin, the house has always aroused the interest of passionate admirers, the curious, and scholars of Siza's architecture. However, from this pointonwards, that fascination intensified, multiplying requests for visits, publications, photographs and film recordind - whether for retrospective exhibition of a documentary on the impact of architecture on people's lives, or even the launch of the book written by the daughter of the architect's first clients.
After years of waiting, but always sustained by the perseverance and friendship of the architect João Rapagão, the long-awaited day finally arrived in February. Our Architect, accompanied by João Rapagão, Carla Barros, Sara Nunes and the sound and image team, made Fernando Neto's dream come true. At last, the reunion - a moment of rare happpiness and unforgettable for all.
Client and architect engaged in a dialogue as if they had met only the day before. Siza's attentive eyes looked at his work as though it were the first time. Doubts and fears of seeing his work altered quicklny faded away. The maintenance he had recommended had been taken seriously. At the farewell, glasses were raised and it was said:
- "Architect Siza is the best in the world!"
From this luminous encounter was born the inspiration for the creation of the documentary "The First Siza".
In April of that year, Fernando Neto departed to be reunited with Fernanda d'Abreu. The house once again felt their absence, yet remained as guardian of their memories, keeping alive the legancy they both left behind.
"A love of a lifetime that will continue in eternity "- Words of Fernando Neto
"The Four Houses"
by Álvaro Siza Vieira
(Matosinhos, 1957)
Álvaro Siza Vieira was born in Matosinhos on 25 June 1933 and studied Architecture at the School of Fine Arts - Porto between 1949 and 1955.
In 1954, Álvaro Siza, still an architecture student, designed what would officially be his first project: Four Houses for the same family. With two detached houses and two semi-detached, the built complex acquired an urban dimension in this relationship with the avenue. The work took place between 1954 and 1957.
Siza's first work (besides the academic exercises that would come to be considered as his early works), the so-called Quatro Casas is a revision of modern architecture that merges the Survey on Popular Architecture (led by Távora), Le Corbusier in Ronchamp and his lifelong idol, Alvar Aalto. Integrated in this concept, the habitation of d'Abreu Neto demonstrates the process that guided the architect's work, aware of the limits imposed by a small plot and the difficulty of reconciling the needs of a family house with its dimensions and contractive conditions, while also enhancing free space, in line with the possibilities opened by the house itself. With the simplicity of volumes and abstration, anticipating the handbook of homonymy by Venturi in 1966. The kitchen of the d'Abreu Neto house recalls the modernist experiments, but with the poetic sensibility of a young Siza, deeply impressed by the initial discoveries of Antoni Gaudí. The atmosphere of the kitchen is described by Siza himself as a space that recalls Cristmas, Easters and the great family gatherings. (Joana Couceiro and Nuno Valentim, OHP’19).
At the time, the work drew attention for its audacity and innovative features for that period. Today, this building - which includes two detached houses and two semi-detached ones - continues to be a point of reference and interest for students, enthusiasts and lovers of architecture.
Recently rehabilitated by the architect Álvaro Siza, the d'Abreu Neto overlooks the festivities of Senhor de Matosinhos. It does so in the form of a balcony, with granite paving and two benches perfectly fitting into the carpentry of the railings, expanding the space of the rooms.
He is the author of numerous projects exhibited all over the world. In Portugal, the highlights include the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art, SAAL - Bouça social housing, São Bento Metro Station, the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto and the Architecture Studio (his private studio) in Porto, the Camilo Study Center in Vila Nova de Famalicão, the Municipal Library of Viana do Castelo, the Nadir Afonso Museum of Contemporary Art in Chaves, the University Library of Aveiro, the Moinho de Papel Museum in Leiria, the Bairro da Malagueira in Évora, the Church of Santa Maria and Parish Center in Marco de Canaveses, Miradouro do Zebro in Oleiros, the Atelier-Museum Júlio Pomar, the Portuguese Pavilion at Expo'98 as well as the reconstruction of the Chiado area and Baixa-Chiado Metro Station in Lisbon.
In Matosinhos, beyond the “Quatro Casas" (1954-1956), which include the Casa d'abreu Neto, his projects include the Parish Center of Matosinhos (1956-1959), the Boa Nova Tea House (1958-1965), the Quinta da Conceição Swimming Pool (1958-1965), the renovation of his parents' house on Roberto Ivens Street (1961, 2009 and 2022), the Marés Swimming Pool (1961-1966) and the Seafront promenade of Leça da Palmeira (2006).
Matosinhos City Council awarded him in1988 the Medal of Merit (Gold) and in 2007 the Medal of Honor (Gold) and the title of Honorary Citizen.
Started in 2020 and completed in 2022, the "Four Houses" were classified as a Monument of Municipal Interest, and the process of classification at a national level by the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage is underway.
Among his many distinctions, the following stand out: the Architecture Prize of the International Association of Art Critics (1981), the Mies van der Rohe Prize for Contemporary Architecture (1988), the Pritzker Prize of the Hyatt Foundation (1992), the Secil Prize (1996, 2000, 2006), the Golden Lion Prize of the Venice Architecture Biennale (2002, 2012), the Spanish National Architecture Prize (2019) and the Charles Abella Grand Prix for Architecture of the French Academy of Fine Arts (2019).
2020's
The new identity of the House
In 2021, granddaughter Maria Manuel wished to preserve the house and tell its story in a different way.
The family home began its transformation towards a new identity: Casa d'Abreu Neto, as an architectural object open to all - visitable, available for stays and events.
Casa d'Abreu Neto became a brand, and was refurbished to its new function by the architect Álvaro Siza, including the design of furniture and the brand's logo.
Inês Baptista da Câmara, CEO of Studio Astolfi and Art is Luxury,developed branding consultancy to bring this new phase of the house to life.
In 2024, Casa d'Abreu Neto completed its refurbishment works and the book "O Nosso Arquitecto" authored by Maria João Neto was launched.
It also became a guest member of Iconic Houses . It was also presented as an identity project by Siza in the C.A.S.A. (Álvaro Siza Wing) exhibitions curated by António Choupina at the Serralves Foundation - Porto, and in the SIZA exhibition curated by Carlos Quintáns at the Callouste Gulbenkian Foundation - Lisbon.
Today it is already possible to experience the unique atmosphere and enjoy the most beautiful dreams in the first project signed by a portuguese architect awarded the Pritzker Prize.
This house, with four bedrooms and capacity to accommodate up to 9 guests, opens its doors for an incomparable experience.
Discover all the details and make your reservation here .
In April 2025, the Serralves Foundation, in Porto, hosted the premiere of the documentary "The First Siza" by Building Pictures, directed by Sara Nunes and based on a original idea by João Rapagão and Sara Nunes. The fim revisits, six decades later, Álvaro Siza's first project, revealing the reunion with his inaugural client and family, in an intimate portrait of the impact that architecture has on people's lives.
From that same year onwards, the Casa d'Abreu Neto will open as guest accommodation, welcoming travellers, artists and admirers of Siza, of architecture, of art and history.
Siza and
"his first victims"
In this encounter, Fernando Neto simply shares that the house belongs as much to the d'Abreu Neto family as it does to Siza.
For him, that visit was his last great joy - a moment of intimate and unforgettable celebration.
The bond woven there, through space, endures in the memory of those who live in it, who visit it, and who remain at the Casa d'Abreu Neto.
It is the first.
The History of the Casa d'Abreu Neto in Photographs
"Our Architect"
The first work of architect Álvaro Siza Vieira and the stories of the d'Abreu Neto family
The book tells the stories of the d'Abreu Neto family intertwined with their experience with the then young Álvaro Siza Vieira, before, during and after the construction. It recounts the anxieties and concerns of the clients, the criticisms of the architects of the time, the disapproval of the public and the press, the scathing reviews of the period, and the emergence of an architectural genius.
It culminates in 2019 with a memorable visit by the architect Álvaro Siza to his first work and his first client, after an absence of no less than sixty years. The first client, his first work, the owner's first home - all come together in an unforgettable encounter, marked by hilarious and moving moments.