In 1919, the doors to the Teatro Gran Splendid opened in Buenos Aires, Argentina, but after the theater closed and was leased to Grupo Ilhsa in February 2000 it became one of the most impressive bookstores in the world.

With the theater seating removed and the location renamed the El Ateneo Grand Splendid, the massive book and music store is also home to a café.

In 2007 alone, more than 700,000 books were sold to the store’s estimated 1 million visitors passing through its doors.

Check out photos of the bookstore once named No. 2 in The Guardian’s 2008 list of the World’s Ten Best Bookshops.