The purpose of this communication is to reflect on the process that turned Vila Itororó, an architectural complex in São Paulo, into heritage. This is an emblematic case due to the complex issues that surrounded it since at least the 1970s, issues that are being discussed again nowadays because of the resumption of the governmental project to turn the place into a cultural centre. The documental research of this process has shown the difficulties in public policies to agree on the preservation of Vila Itororó and the maintenance of its residential use, which has been its main use since its origin. In this context, based on an imaginary framework that turns the place into a heritage that emanates value per se, the governmental actions end up contributing to the creation of an urban spectacularization, where Vila Itororó is seen as a myth that does not depend on those who construct its value on a daily basis, and so can only be preserved by their exclusion.