The Palacete Santa Helena was a commercial building on Praça da Sé, in the center of São Paulo. Inaugurated in 1925, it was a milestone in urban verticalization and architecture due to the luxury and modernity of its facilities.[1]​[2]​ It was demolished in 1971.[1]​.

The building was built in the early 1920s and belonged to Manuel Joaquim de Albuquerque Lins), former governor of the state of São Paulo, from Alagoas. The construction of the building was still in progress and the works were completed by his brother Luís Asson.[2]​.

Inaugurated on November 12, 1925, the building was designed by the architects Giacomo Corberi") and Giuseppe Sacchetti"). Of eclectic architecture with Art Deco influence, its façade was ornamented with figures of angels carved in cement and its interior had marble and baroque style decoration.

The name of the building was a tribute to the wife of the owner Manuel Lins, named Helena de Sousa Queiróz. The "Santa" was added due to the proximity of the building to the Metropolitan Cathedral of São Paulo.[3]​ The original project envisioned a hotel, which was later transformed for use as offices and cinema-theater, constituting the first multifunctional building in the city of São Paulo. The shops located in the basement had their own sanitary facilities, ventilated through ventilation shafts. The building's elevators were manufactured by the Graham company, advertised at that time for having the most advanced technology.[2]​ Its structure was divided into five blocks and seven floors, comprising two mezzanines, four premises and 276 offices.[1]​.

The Santa Helena Theatro also functioned in the building, which occupies the first three floors of the central block and has the capacity to accommodate 1,500 people distributed in an auditorium, a gallery, 36 friezes and 42 cabins. by horses, with muses and other symbolic figures, cupids and Gloria with a laurel wreath.[5]​.

There was still a room in the building in the basement (below the theater audience) called the Egyptian Room, intended for parties, banquets and other social events. Later, the room was transformed into a movie theater, Cinemundi.[3]​.

The building was built to serve the elite of São Paulo, but urban changes in the city center led the building to receive an audience from the most diverse social strata. Praça da Sé ended up being used as a bus terminal and later Praça Clóvis Bevilácqua") was transformed into the city's main public transport terminal serving the entire east side. It was the so-called new center of São Paulo.[2]​.