In an act held at the Legislature LibraryExecutives of the Ilhsa Group, received the distinction granted for the contribution of The Ateneo a la cultura with its work in 110 years of history. “Extremely proud to receive this distinction, which highlights our effort and dedication to the field of culture; providing spaces to discover and share different artistic and literary manifestations”, commented Melina Dorfman and Hugo Cayssialsresponsible for Communication at Grupo Ilhsa.
“El Ateneo bookstores have historically functioned as a meeting point. There are many personalities who have participated in different activities in our premises: Ernesto Sábato, Soda Stereo, Quino, Hebe Uhart, Rosa Montero, Mario Benedetti, Mario Vargas Llosa, Les Luthiers, John Katzenbach, Isabel Allende, Abelardo Castillo and Ken Follett, to name a few”, added the representatives of El Ateneo.
El Ateneo is one of the most recognized and most valid bookstores in the country, created in 1912 by the Spanish immigrant Pedro Garcia, its first store was on Victoria street, currently Hipólito Yrigoyen 653, between Perú and Chacabuco, in the heart of the city of Buenos Aires. The space began by editing medical books, which would end up being the strong point of the catalogue. At first, the publisher offered them in their foreign language version, to later translate them and turn them into reference material for the medical profession.
In 1938, El Ateneo moved to the traditional and sumptuous building at Florida 340, owned by the magnate of the Argentine film industry. Max Glucksman. Also, property of the producer was the movie theater ofl Grand Splendidwhere its second headquarters would later be installed, in a place considered one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world.
The recognition, promoted by the Deputy Juan Pablo Arenaza and his team, together with the co-authors of the project, the deputies Cecilia Ferrero and Marilú González Estevarena and the deputy roy curtain; joins others already received by El Ateneo throughout its history. In 1987, the City Museum recognized the El Ateneo Florida 340 Bookstore as a “Testimony of Citizen Memory” for having preserved its character and original decoration.
Also, in 2010, the Legislature of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires placed a plaque on the façade of The Grand Splendid Athenaeum in homage to its 10th Anniversary and in 2012, the Legislature of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires placed a plaque on the facade of El Ateneo Florida 340 in homage to its 100th Anniversary for its contribution to culture.
NowadaysYenny – The Athenaeum It is one of the largest bookstore chains in the country. Yenny’s 44 stores, like the eight at El Ateneo, are located in the main cities of each province, offering a wide catalog of books, music, films and market games. The chain is part of the conglomerate made up of Grupo Ilhsa SA, together with Editorial El Ateneo, Tematika.com and Quid.
