Garcia Barbon Theatre

Caixanova Cultural Centre
Garcia Barbon theatre
General information
Type	Theatre and library
Location	Vigo, Galicia, Spain
Coordinates	42°14′16.45″N 8°43′24.2″W / 42.2379028°N 8.723389°WCoordinates: 42°14′16.45″N 8°43′24.2″W / 42.2379028°N 8.723389°W
Construction started	1913
Completed	1927
Opening	1984
Owner	Caixanova
Management	Caixanova
Design and construction
Architect	Desiderio Pernas & Antonio Palacios

In the Centre of Vigo, Garcia Barbon theatre begins to be built in the late nineteenth century, thanks to an enthusiastic group of people from Vigo who want introduce theatrical culture in the city. Alter years with a lot of economic problems, the theatre was opened on July 15 of 1900 with the name "Rosalía de Castro Theatre", and being his first performance the opera Aida.

Years after was inaugurated and after a period of economic failure, the theater bankrupt, becoming a store for a short period of time, by popular demand the benefactor José García Barbon recovered the property and returned it to play representations.

On February 8, 1910, after the function in Carnival Tuesday, a fire completely charred the building, leaving the city without a theater again. Three years later, thanks to José García Barbon’s nieces who decided to continue the work of his uncle. The Galician architect Antonio Palacios would be responsible for the construction of a new theatre. The building is described as Neo-Baroque style, into the mainstream of the beginning of the twentieth century, inspired by the Paris Opera of Charles Garnier and Arriaga Theatre of Bilbao.

The new theatre was opened on April 23, 1927, under the name of Garcia Barbon theatre but it was not only a theatre, it was also auditorium and Casino, where people can see different kinds of show and becoming a meeting point.

During the seventies the building was bought by "Caja de Ahorros Municipal de Vigo" a regional Savings Bank from the same city. This entity spends more than 6 million of Euros in an important rehabilitation done by the architect Desiderio Pernas, expanding the theatre, creating a library in a new top floor and giving a new image to the building.

On March 22 of 1984 the building was reopened as the “Centro Cultural Caixanova” to be the bigger project conducted by the entity.

References

• http://hoxe.vigo.org/movemonos/h_barbon.php?lang=cas
• http://www.udc.es/dep/com/ingles/barbon/barbonx.html
• http://www.obrasocialcaixanova.com/es/centros/detalle/centro_cultural_caixanova