The Largo do Boticário (Apothecary’s Square) is a square in the Cosme Velho neighborhood of the city of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. The square can be reached by the Beco do Boticário (Apothecary’s Alley), that passes by the Carioca River. The area is characterized by large, neo-colonial houses and Atlantic Forest vegetation.

History
The name of the alley and square are derived from Joaquim Luís da Silva Souto, apothecary, who had an establishment on the old Rua Direita, today’s Rua Primeiro de Março in downtown Rio. Apothecary Silva Souto was very successful, even treating members of the royal family. He bought land in the Cosme Velho neighborhood and moved there around 1831. In 1846, marshal Joaquim Alberto de Souza Silveira—a frequent visitor to the royal court—lived there and author Machado de Assis was his godfather.

The defining feature of the square appeared in the 1920s. Edmundo Bittencourt, founder of the newspaper Correio da Manhã, bought the property and began to build neocolonial houses. This trend continued into the 1930s and 1940s with the help of diplomat, architect, art collector, and resident, Rodolfo da Siqueira. Sylvia de Arruda Botelho Bittencourt her husband Paulo inherited the Correio da Manhã, moved into the square, and assisted with its preservation. Some of the original houses near the square were refurbished by modernist architects like Lucio Costa and Gregori Warchavchik, using original materials authentic to the colonial era salvaged from demolition projects around the city.

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