El Ateneo Grand Splendid, Buenos Aires

El Ateneo is one of the most well-known bookshops in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Situated at 1860 Santa Fe Avenue, Barrio Norte, the building was originally constructed in 1919 by the empresario Max Glücksman (1875-1946) as a theatre named Teatro Gran Splendid. The theatre had a seating capacity of 1050 and staged a variety of performances including appearances by the tango artists Carlos Gardel, Francisco Canaro, Roberto Firpo and Ignacio Corsini.

In 1924 Glücksman started his own radio station, Radio Splendid, which broadcasted from the building where his recording company, Nacional Odeón, made some of the early recordings of the great tango singers of the day. In the late twenties the theatre was converted into a cinema and in 1929 showed the first films ever presented with sound.

In 2000 the building was renovated and converted into a book and music shop. The cinema seating was removed and in its place book shelves were installed. 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 café on the back of what was once the stage. The original painted ceiling, ornate carvings, crimson stage curtains, auditorium lighting and many architectural details remain. Despite the changes, the building still retains the feeling of the grand theatre it once was.