The beauty of Teatro Pavón

The beauty of Teatro Pavón

Teatro Pavón is one of the most beautiful art-deco constructions preserved in Madrid. It is located in a very traditional area of Barrio de la Latina. This small and iconic theatre has become, with the passing of decades, a point of reference for the neighbourhood. Also, in the area of the Rastro there is a busy and bustling morning atmosphere crowded with coffee-shop terraces.

The beauty of Teatro Pavón

In spite of having gone through difficult times, Teatro Pavón has survived over the years and resisted disappearing. A fact which has fortunately, kept it standing. In our blog in the section of Places with a lot of History, we wrote, some time ago, about the The Spanish Institute of Cultural Heritage. Today, we are going to talk about Teatro Pavón, an emblematic theatre which is also part of the cultural history of Madrid and offers the added value of representing the art- deco artistic movement. Today, we suggest visiting Teatro Pavón. Do you want to join us?

The beauty of Teatro Pavón

A TEMPLE OF TRADITIONAL CHARACTER

Teatro Pavón is located in 9, Embajadores Street, close to the underground station of La Latina. The theatre was finished in 1925 by the architect Teodoro Anasagasti. This architect also designed Monumental Cinema, about which we wrote some time ago in this blog. Teatro Pavón stands out for being one of the first art- deco buildings in Madrid. The building still resembles its original aspect, even though some parts are not original as it has undergone countless restorations as well as several reconstructions throughout the years.

The beauty of Teatro Pavón

We must highlight the stunning façade embellished with floral and geometric motifs. This façade resembles the one of Cine Doré that is also art- deco and about which we wrote in this blog. When Teatro Pavón was inaugurated, it could seat up to 1.700 persons who were able to enjoy plays as well as variety shows. We must point out the performance of the mythical Celia Gámez who played 6 different parts at the beginning of the 30´s, being one part the historic “Las Leandras”. The public figure “El Pichi”, who represented a very traditional character, left that play. During the dictatorship, nearly all the variety shows that had been characteristic of the theatre, stopped being performed.

The beauty of Teatro Pavón

However, the theatre did not close down even though a considerable decrease of the performances took place. This change was largely due to the fact that most of the building was turned into a cinema and a concert hall. In the 50´s, the premises were completely restored and this also included, unfortunately, the destruction of the beautiful façade that was covered with grey cement and thus, made the building lose all its original aspect. At the end of the 70´s, the premises were closed down to be, once again, remodeled. During the 80´s, the premises only opened once in a while and went almost unnoticed, as the different closings and re-openings show.

The beauty of Teatro Pavón

THE YEAR 2000, TEATRO PAVON REVIVES

In the year 2000, a complete restoration took place and the building recovered its original aspect and all the decorative and architectural elements that had been lost.

The beauty of Teatro Pavón

In 2017, the Kamikaze company, took charge of the premises and was awarded the Premio Nacional de Teatro. The building comprises two entrance halls, an ambigu and a terrace with a recognizable railing which is similar to the original one. In this video, we can view the inside of Teatro Pavón and listen to the approach carried out by the current people in charge.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…?

In the lower area, we can visit Café Pavón which used to be in the same building as the theatre but at present, it is separated and opens to the street. This café preserves the decorative elements of the period as well as the stunning ceiling which is a pleasure to see whilst having a cup of coffee.

Picture 01: Luis García

Picture 02: Discasto

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