Teatro Empire

Teatro Empire is a historic theatre and cinema located at Hipólito Yrigoyen 1934 in the Balvanera neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It occupies part of the building that serves as the headquarters of La Fraternidad, the railway workers' union. The building was designed in 1931 by the architect Jorge Sabaté, whose design was selected through a competition, in the art deco style that dominated the taste of the period. Construction took place in 1933 and the building was inaugurated in 1934. The structure has a basement, ground floor and four upper floors, and was conceived to concentrate the union's social headquarters (including an assembly hall and cinema-theatre), administrative offices, a school, the editorial office of the union magazine, and the residence of the Secretary-Manager. It was placed in a strategic location in Buenos Aires, beside the National Congress. The theatre was inaugurated on 20 June 1934 with a performance featuring, among others, Gloria Kazda, Azucena Maizani, Camila and Fernando Quiroga. Over the decades many works were staged there and many Argentine and foreign actors passed across its stage, including Josephine Baker, Maurice Chevalier, Alfredo Alcón, Ernesto Bianco, Pepe Cibrián, Irma Córdoba, Ana María Campoy, María Rosa Gallo, Adrián Ghio, Delia Garcés, Aída Luz, Bárbara Mujica, Cecilia Rosetto, Luis Sandrini, Paulina Singerman, Miguel Ángel Solá and José María Vilches. For some years it served as the auditorium of LR3 Radio Belgrano, then under the direction of Jaime Yankelevich. After remaining closed to the public for some years, since 1997 the company of Carlos Mathus and Antonio Leiva has been responsible for the theatre, which receives support from the Instituto Nacional del Teatro and Proteatro, and offers a varied programme including an opera season, theatre and independent ballet works, and musical shows and concerts of diverse styles. Following the deaths of Mathus and Leiva, César Mathus took charge of the direction and management of the hall. A different, earlier Teatro Empire also existed in Buenos Aires: the Teatro Ateneo, inaugurated on 17 February 1909 at Corrientes 699 on the corner of Maipú, built by the Swiss architect Jacques Dunant, who also installed his studio on the upper floors. It was one of the most elegant halls dedicated first to the cinematograph and later to music-hall with foreign and national figures, among them the Gardel-Razzano duo, and later changed its name to Empire Theatre until July 1936, when it was demolished due to the widening of Corrientes street.

The Teatro Empire is located at Hipólito Yrigoyen 1934 in the Balvanera neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the same building that serves as the headquarters of the La Fraternidad union. The building was designed in 1931 by the architect Jorge Sabaté, whose design was chosen through a competition, in the art deco style that dominated the taste of the time. It was built in 1933 and inaugurated in 1934. The work, with a basement, ground floor and four upper floors, had the premise of concentrating the union's social headquarters (including an assembly hall and cinema-theatre), administrative offices, a school, the editorial office of the union magazine, and the residence of the Secretary-Manager. It was located in a strategic place in Buenos Aires, beside the National Congress. The facade of the building is organised in five window bays separated by false pilasters, and the base has three entrances. The central one is the largest and is the access to the social headquarters and the cinema-theatre hall. It is crowned by a relief reading "La Fraternidad" and gives access to an imposing vestibule adorned with friezes designed by Daniel Ortolani and Adolfo Montero, which narrate the history of transport in Argentina. The two side entrances lead: one to the basement, where the buffet and machine rooms were installed, and the other to the upper floors, which house the offices (second floor), the school and editorial office (third floor) and the Secretary's residence (top floor). Finally, the top is crowned by two stepped side turrets. The theatre was inaugurated on 20 June 1934 with a performance featuring, among others, Gloria Kazda, Azucena Maizani, Camila and Fernando Quiroga. Since then many works have been staged in the theatre and many Argentine and foreign actors have passed across its stage: among them are Josephine Baker, Maurice Chevalier, Alfredo Alcón, Ernesto Bianco, Pepe Cibrián, Irma Córdoba, Ana María Campoy, María Rosa Gallo, Adrián Ghio, Delia Garcés, Aída Luz, Bárbara Mujica, Cecilia Rosetto, Luis Sandrini, Paulina Singerman, Miguel Ángel Solá and José María Vilches. For some years it was the auditorium of LR3 Radio Belgrano, then under the charge of Jaime Yankelevich. After remaining closed to the public for some years, since 1997 the company of Carlos Mathus and Antonio Leiva has been in charge of the theatre, which receives the support of the Instituto Nacional del Teatro and Proteatro, and offers a varied programme, including an opera season, theatre and independent ballet works, and musical shows and concerts of diverse styles. After the death of Mathus and Leiva, César Mathus took charge of the direction and management of the hall. Another Teatro Empire also existed in Buenos Aires: at Corrientes 699 on the corner of Maipú, the Teatro Ateneo was inaugurated on 17 February 1909, built by the Swiss architect Jacques Dunant, who also installed his studio on the upper floors of the building. It was one of the most elegant halls dedicated first to the cinematograph and later to music-hall with foreign and national figures, among whom was the Gardel-Razzano duo, and later changed its name to Empire Theatre until July 1936, when it was demolished due to the widening of Corrientes street.

• 1997

  The company of Carlos Mathus and Antonio Leiva takes charge of the theatre.

• 1936

  The earlier Empire Theatre is demolished in July due to the widening of Corrientes street.

• 1934

  The building and Teatro Empire are inaugurated on 20 June with a performance featuring Gloria Kazda, Azucena Maizani, Camila and Fernando Quiroga.

• 1933

  Construction of the La Fraternidad building.

• 1931

  Jorge Sabaté's design for the La Fraternidad building, selected through competition, is projected.

• 1909

  A different Teatro Ateneo (later renamed Empire Theatre) is inaugurated on 17 February at Corrientes 699.

Historic art deco theatre and cinema in Buenos Aires, operating as a performing arts venue with support from public cultural institutions.

Product categories. Theatre performances · Opera season · Independent ballet · Musical shows and concerts · Cinema screenings (historically)

1. 1Teatro Empire - Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Teatro Empire - Wikipedia (Spanish)es.wikipedia.org