"See one of the world's greatest opera-houses" Colon Theatre Tip by WStat

The first Teatro Colón was opened on April 27, 1857 with the performance of La Traviata. The theatre was located opposite the Plaza de Mayo on the southwest block between the streets Rivadavia, Reconquista, Bartolomé Mitre and 25 de Mayo. The theatre plans were designed by the engineer Carlos Enrique Pellegrini-father of the future president of Argentina. It was designed for an audience of 2500 people.

The theatre had to close in 1888. Its privileged site housed –and still does- the Banco de la Nación Argentina. The present theatre opened in 1908 after twenty years under construction. The auditorium is horseshoe-shaped, has 2,487 seats (slightly more than, say, the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England), standing room for 1,000 and a stage which is 20 m wide, 15 m high and 20 m deep[1]. The acoustics are excellent.

The theatre closed for refurbishment at the end of October 2006, with plans to reopen in 2010; the usual guided tours have been cancelled until the theater reopens. But a walk around Teatro Colon and the great impression of its front gives some ideas of its position as one of the cornerstones of Argentine urban culture.

Address: Libertad 621 y Toscanini 1168
Phone: 4378 -7133
Website: http://www.teatrocolon.org.ar