El Ateneo: Grand Old Theater Transformed into the World’s Most Ornate Bookstore

Posted By Yuka Yoneda On April 9, 2011 @ 11:45 am In Architecture,Recycled Materials | 4 Comments

• Tweet ^[1]
• Share on Tumblr ^[2]
• Email ^[3]

 

^{[4]  [5]}

Toto, we're not in Barnes and Noble anymore... Take one step inside this incredibly ornate megachamber and you're sure to realize that it isn't your average bookstore. El Ateneo ^[6] Grand Splendid in Buenos Aires is one of the most dramatic booksellers ^[7] in the world, which makes a lot of sense considering the space used to be a theater. Architect Fernando Manzone ^[8] converted the cinema into a shop, but retained many parts of the theater from the stage to the incredible architectural details and even the red curtains - a material-saving move that paid off judging from the shop's popularity.

  ^[5]

The original building was designed by architects Peró and Torres Armengol ^[9]and opened as the Teatro Gran Splendid in May 1919. Like much of the architecture from the period, the interior features lavish details such as a ceiling frescoespainted by the Italian artist Nazareno Orlandi and caryatids ^[10] sculpted by Troiano Troiani. The transformation from theater to bookstore ^[11] consisted of removing the cinema seating and installing rows upon rows of bookshelves. Customers wishing to curl up with a book have their choice of many chairs scattered throughout the store including the original theater boxes. The area behind the stage is now a café.

In 2007, El Ateneo ^[6] Gran Splendid sold over 700,000 books and over a million people walk through its doors annually. In 2008, The Guardian places El Ateneo in the number two spot on its 2008 list of the World’s Ten Best Bookshops. ^[12]

+ Fernando Manzone ^[8]

Article printed from Inhabitat – Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building: http://inhabitat.com

URL to article: http://inhabitat.com/el-ateneo-grand-old-theater-transformed-into-the-worlds-most-ornate-bookstore/

URLs in this post:

[1] Tweet: http://twitter.com/share

[2] Share on Tumblr: http://www.tumblr.com/share

[3] Email: mailto:?subject=http://inhabitat.com/el-ateneo-grand-old-theater-transformed-into-the-worlds-most-ornate-bookstore/

[4]

[5]  : http://inhabitat.com/el-ateneo-grand-old-theater-transformed-into-the-worlds-most-ornate-bookstore/el-ateneo-bookstore/?extend=1

[6] El Ateneo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Ateneo

[7] booksellers: http://inhabitat.com/gorgeous-church-renovated-into-modern-bookstore/

[8] Fernando Manzone: http://www.fernandomanzone.com.ar/

[9] Peró and Torres Armengol : http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Glucksmann

[10] caryatids: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caryatid

[11] bookstore: http://inhabitat.com/beautiful-bookstore-decor-made-from-old-books/

[12] World’s Ten Best Bookshops. : http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/jan/11/bestukbookshops

Click here to print.