The Bookshop El Ateneo Grand Splendid is a bookstore located in the Recoleta city block, close to the Recoleta Graveyard. El Ateneo Grand Splendid was originally a theater that closed its doors for the public in 1919. Numerous operas, concerts and ballet performances were organized within its bounds. The Odeon National Publishing House used this building as their headquarters, and many singers recorded their songs in this establishment dedicated to culture.
The building was designed by architects Peró and Torres Armengol. Inside this former theater, there are frescoes painted by Italian master Nazzareno Orlandi, as well as caryatids sculpted by Troiano Troiani. The theater had a capacity of 1050 seats. Radio Splendid broadcasted from the theater, which played the songs of the most influential singers of Argentina. Near the end of the 20th century, the theater was turned into a cinema, and in 1929, the first sound films started to be shown within the Ateneo.
The cinema was turned into a bookstore in 2000, and the stage was turned into a bar where you can enjoy a cup of coffee while you read. The seats were removed to make way for bookshelves to be installed. The store covers an area of 2000m2, and sells several hundred thousand books annually. The Ateneo broke its sales record in 2007, when 700 thousand books were sold in a year. More than a million people visit the bookstore every year.
photo credit: Jeison Higuita
