The old Teatro Gran Splendid Theater was built in May of 1919 by Pero and Torres Armengo in Argentina was a truly beautiful theater that held over 1000 people. Its design was breathtaking with hand painted ceilings and massive columns. The theater hosted some of the brightest stars of the era.
“Its design was breathtaking with hand painted ceilings and massive columns. The theater hosted some of the brightest stars of the era.”
In 1924 the radio station “Radio Splendid” started and they even recorded some of the most popular tango songs and by the late 1920’s the people at Teatro Gran Splendid began to show films and in 1929 it was this theater that showed talkies to the Argentine people for the first time!
In year 2000 the old theater was given new life and its new name “El Ateneo Grand Splendid” it was transformed into a bookstore and a music shop. Also where the back stage was once located you can find their café. Over one million people visit this marvels bookstore each year.
Despite the impressive reinventions there is still very much of the old sprite left in this building, the ornate carvings and auditorium lighting remains. They still hang crimson curtains and you can even read the book you are contemplating about buying in one of the intact theater boxes.
The Argentine books store is located at 1860 Santa Fe Ave. in Buenos Aires and is considered to be one of the greatest bookstores running today. In fact in 2008 it was listed as second in a list of the ten best bookstores in the world by The Guardian.
