Teatro Colón
The Teatro Colón (Spanish: Columbus Theatre) is a historic opera house in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is considered one of the ten best opera houses in the world by National Geographic. According to a survey carried out by the acoustics expert Leo Beranek among leading international opera and orchestra directors, the Teatro Colón has the room with the best acoustics for opera and the second best for concerts in the world.
| Teatro Colón Columbus Theatre | |
|---|---|
Main façade of Teatro Colón | |
| General information | |
| Type | Theatre |
| Architectural style | Eclectic |
| Location | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Address | Tucumán 1171, C1049 CABA |
| Construction started | 1889 |
| Completed | 1908 |
| Height | 28 metres |
| Dimensions | |
| Diameter | 58 metres |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Concrete |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Francesco Tamburini Julio Dormal Vittorio Meano |
| Other information | |
| Seating capacity | 2,478 |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
The present Colón replaced an original theatre which opened in 1857. Towards the end of the century, it became clear that a new theatre was needed, and after a 20-year process, the present theatre opened on 25 May 1908, with Giuseppe Verdi's Aïda.
The Teatro Colón was visited by the foremost singers and opera companies of the time, who would sometimes go on to other cities including Montevideo, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.
After this period of huge international success, the theatre's decline became clear and plans were made for massive renovations. After an initial start of works to restore the landmark in 2005, the theatre was closed for refurbishment from October 2006 to May 2010. It re-opened on 24 May 2010, with a programme for the 2010 season.