Teatro Real
Compana Street,
Santiago de Chile
Compana Street,
Santiago de Chile
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Paramount Pictures Inc.
Architects: Fernando Valdivieso Barros, Fernando De la Cruz
Functions: Retail
Styles: Art Nouveau, Atmospheric, Spanish Baroque
Nearby Theaters
The Teatro Real (Royal Theatre) was open in 1930 as a first run movie and performance theater. It was a typical Atmospheric style theatre with Spanish Baroque elements. The auditorium had two balconies and was lavishly decorated as a Spanish castle yard with wonderful Neo-Classical style columms. As is usual in Atmospheric style theatres, the ceiling was beautifully painted.
During many decades the Theatre Real was of one of the most elegant theatres in Santiago de Chile. It was used to show movies and Zarzuelas (Spanish operettas) as well. Due to its wonderfull acoustics, it was often used as a concert hall.
Due to the decline in people going to the movies at the late-1960’s, the Teatro Real began showing second run and adult movies. It was partially renovated in the 1970’s. The original marquee was removed and replaced with a unproportional one, without any harmony to the gorgeous Spanish Baroque style facade.
In the early-1990’s, it finally closed its doors. Nowadays it is a retail store. The loss to Santiago de Chile was huge.
Contributed by
Carlos Stoeckel
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Recent comments (view all 2 comments)
Originally operated by Paramount, the Teatro Real was designed by architects Fernando Valdivieso Barros and Fernando De la Cruz.
Source (a large .pdf file of an essay on modern architecture in Chile.)
Walked by this building recently and immediately thought it might have once been a movie palace. Now I know all about it thanks to Cinema Treasures. At least the building still stands but the ground floor (like so many of Santiago’s grand old buildings) is a travesty to the memory of a once important icon of the city. The prophecy of doom so well described in the classic movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” has been fulfilled.