El Ateneo Grand Splendid Bookstore

Located at 1860 Santa Fe Avenue in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the building was designed by the architects Pero and Torres Armengol for the empresario Max Glucksmann, and opened as a theater called Teatro Gran Splendid in the early 1900s. The building features ceiling frescoes painted by the Italian artist Nazareno Orlandi and caryatids sculpted by Troiano Troiani. It was subsequently renovated and converted into a book and music shop under the direction of the architect Fernando Manzone; the cinema seating was removed and in its place book shelves were installed. Continue reading for another video, more pictures and additional information. Click here to view a few bonus strange and funny library signs that will make you look twice

El Ateneo Grand Splendid Bookstore
El Ateneo Grand Splendid Bookstore
El Ateneo Grand Splendid Bookstore
El Ateneo Grand Splendid Bookstore
El Ateneo Grand Splendid Bookstore
El Ateneo Grand Splendid Bookstore

Chairs are provided throughout the building, including the still-intact theatre boxes, where customers can dip into books before purchase, and there is now a cafe on the back of what was once the stage. The ceiling, the ornate carvings, the crimson stage curtains, the auditorium lighting and many architectural details remain.

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