Turning the garden of Júlio Prestes Station into a concert hall for São Paulo Symphony Orchestra was a tall order. The project required soundproofing a hall in close proximity to a railway, which was particularly challenging given that the vibrations of train carriages directly interfere with sound transmission. The project also necessitated an architectural intervention that would not damage the building’s original features.

Between 1997 and 1999, the renovation works were led by architect Nelson Dupré in partnership with Luizette Davini, responsible for the coordination of the project, and Artec Consultants (now Arup), an international engineering consultancy firm and leader in projects involving sound acoustics. The aim was to build a state-of-the-art concert hall, comparable to the best halls found in North America and Europe.

Working closely with Artec Consultants, Dupré carried out extensive research, carefully studying acoustic systems, stages, and interior flows of concert halls from all over the world. One of Artec’s key recommendations was the use of mobile overhead panels — at that time an innovative and unique solution ¬— to give the hall more acoustic range and flexibility. This enabled the overall volume of air in the hall to be modified according to the height from which the panels were hung over the stage and the audience. The concert hall could thus be 'tuned' to enhance the sound of the concert according to the specificities of each musical programme; since it preserved the architectural features of the old courtyard’s façades, the solution afforded not only technical but also aesthetic advantages.

Combining outstanding acoustics with the preservation of historical and architectural heritage was one of the main challenges involved in the station’s renovation project. To achieve it, Dupré worked closely with Brazilian acoustics consultant José Augusto Nepomuceno of the firm Akustiks and members of the Council for the Defence of Historical, Archaeological, Artistic and Tourist Heritage of the State of São Paulo (Condephaat). This partnership generated solutions such as the individual balconies and the lining modules applied to the walls.

After two years of work, on 9 July 1999, Sala São Paulo was born. For its inauguration, Osesp, conducted by John Neschling, played Mahler's Second Symphony — The Resurrection, a powerful and magnificent musical work whose title eloquently evoked this key moment in Osesp’s history.

The following year, Sala São Paulo received the Honor Awards of United States Institute for Theatre Technology Architecture Awards. In front of an audience of 1500 people, architect Richard Blinder, who had been responsible for the restoration of Grand Central Terminal in New York, praised the project for the impressive architectural ingenuity involved in turning a train station into a fantastic concert hall. In 2015, the English newspaper The Guardian listed Sala São Paulo among ‘10 of the world’s best concert halls’, alongside France’s Philharmonie de Paris, Germany’s Berlin Philharmonie, and the Grosser Musikvereinssaal in Vienna, Austria.

Twenty-five years after its inauguration, the hall attracts over half a million visitors each year and offers a packed programme comprising concerts by Osesp and other orchestras and artists, as well as several activities linked to Osesp’s educational outreach programmes.