100-Year-Old Theater Converted into a Grand Bookshop

Inside the building of a 100-year-old theater is the most stunning bookshop you’ll ever see.

Photo: Wikiwand

Grand Splendid Theater, now converted into a bookshop called El Ateneo Grand Splendid, is located in Barrio Norte, Buenos Aires.

Photo: Flickr

This grand building was originally designed by architects Peró and Torres Armengol in the early 1900s, and first opened its doors in 1919.

Photo: Wikimedia

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.

Photo: inha

The bookshop, designed by Fernando Manzone, retained many parts of the theater for that that hauntingly beautiful 1920s feel.

Photo: flickr

Much of the old features still remain — the stage, balconies, architectural details, and even the red curtains.

Photo: digitaljournal

Even without the books, the building itself holds so much history.

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