A 100-Year-Old Theater in Argentina Was Transformed Into World's Most Incredible Bookstore
By
Talia Lakritz / Insider
October 15, 2016
Credit:
Liam Quinn/Wikimedia Commons
This story originally appeared on thisisinsider.com.
Shakespeare wrote that "All the world's a stage," but this bookstore actually was a stage once.
El Ateneo Grand Splendid in Buenos Aires, Argentina, started out as a theater in 1919. It had a brief stint as a cinema before architect Fernando Manzone transformed it into the stunning bookstore it is today in 2000.
Now, people come from all over the world to peruse its dramatically-lit shelves.
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Shakespeare wrote that "All the world's a stage," but this bookstore actually was a stage once.
El Ateneo Grand Splendid in Buenos Aires, Argentina, started out as a theater in 1919. It had a brief stint as a cinema before architect Fernando Manzone transformed it into the stunning bookstore it is today in 2000.
Now, people come from all over the world to peruse its dramatically-lit shelves.
Related:16 Incredible European Destinations That Haven't Been Discovered By Tourists... YetI've Been Waiting All Year to See 'The Birth of a Nation,' But the Film's Controversy Has Me Rethinking My DecisionThe 11 Hottest Halloween Costumes This Year, According to Pinterest
The bookstore started out as the Teatro Grand Splendid in 1919.
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It holds over 120, 000 books.
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Still, signs of the building's former life are unmistakable.
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The dim, theatrical lighting remains the same.
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As does the mural on the ceiling painted by Italian artist Nazareno Orlandi.
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By
Talia Lakritz / Insider