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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The bookstore started out as the Teatro Grand Splendid in 1919.

Credit: Roberto Fiadone/Wikimedia Commons
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It holds over 120, 000 books.

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Still, signs of the building's former life are unmistakable.

Credit: Jorge Láscar/Wikimedia Commons
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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.

Credit: Liam Quinn/Wikimedia Commons
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By Talia Lakritz / Insider