100-Year-Old Theater Converted into a Grand Bookshop
By July 19, 2016
Inside the building of a 100-year-old theater is the most stunning bookshop you’ll ever see.
Grand Splendid Theater, now converted into a bookshop called El Ateneo Grand Splendid, is located in Barrio Norte, Buenos Aires.
This grand building was originally designed by architects Peró and Torres Armengol in the early 1900s, and first opened its doors in 1919.
Over the years, it has been converted into a cinema, and in 2000, it became the El Ateneo Grand Splendid bookshop - with over a million visitors each year.
The bookshop, designed by Fernando Manzone, retained many parts of the theater for that that hauntingly beautiful 1920s feel.
Much of the old features still remain — the stage, balconies, architectural details, and even the red curtains.
Even without the books, the building itself holds so much history.
