"It is one of the most emblematic architectural works of the city. The current building is the result of the reconstruction of the old Rosalía de Castro theater, burned down in 1910 when a carnival ball was being held.
To prevent the theater from being lost, the family of the philanthropist José García Barbón entrusts the works of the new building to the architect Antonio Palacios, who designs a monumental building in which various functions such as cinematograph, casino and theater are integrated.
On the ground floor, there would be the main hall, the staircase of honor and the theater room with a circular floor plan. In the lower part of the building, taking advantage of the unevenness of the site, there was a cinema room and a space for a restaurant. Today, part of this interior layout has changed and currently the building has a theater-concert hall -with capacity for 994 people-, an auditorium with 475 seats, rooms for holding seminars, a library...
In terms of architecture, it is worth mentioning the main façade in which influences from the Paris Opera by Charles Garnier and the Arriaga theater in Bilbao can be observed, reflected in the curved treatment of the façade or in its separation into three sections, by means of large butchers. In the lateral façades, a greater formal rigor and a greater ornamental restriction are already observed, highlighting the large glazed surface of the two lateral ones.
The entire building was restored by the architect Desiderio Pernas between 1982 and 1984, after being acquired by the Caixanova financial entity to turn it into a cultural center. It was covered with a copper cover to house the library; the sculptures of the bronze horses by Juan Oliveira were placed in the buttresses of the main façade, and the rest of the stone figures by Manuel Buciños allegorical to painting, theater, sculpture, literature, cinema and to the music. It was inaugurated on March 22, 1984.
Ana:
The current building was built on the same site as the old Rosalía de Castro theater, which burned down in 1910 during a carnival ball. Prior to this fateful fire, the philanthropist José García Barbón had acquired the property to prevent its disappearance, since it had previously been acquired by the house "Widow and children of Simeón García" to convert it into a commercial establishment.
After the fire and now deceased José García Barbón, his nieces and heiresses commissioned the plans for a new theater from Antonio Palacios, following his uncle's wish not to deprive the city of this facility.
It opened in 1927 with the play Madame Pompadour."
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