Teatro Principal: Historic site and space to promote culture and peace

Published at: 18/04/2026 08:30 AM

The Teatro Principal, located in the historic center of the city of Caracas, in the vicinity of Plaza Bolívar, was inaugurated on April 18, 1931.

Gustavo Wallis Legórburu, was responsible for designing this theater, which was the first in the country to have a steel frame, front balcony and acoustic treatment on the walls.

This theater was also the second main cinema in the capital city with 760 seats for the public, since in May 1935 the legendary Carlos Gardel performed on its stage, offering one of his last performances, which would perish a month later, on June 24, in Medellín (Colombia).

However, in 1953 it was remodeled under the command of Marcos Pérez Jiménez, which caused part of the interior decoration to be destroyed.

In 1990 it was converted into a Mexican movie theater. Then the building, modified, abandoned and closed, suffered, in those same years, a serious fire and remained closed for a long time, until it was reopened in July 2011 by the Revolutionary Government.

Mazo News Team