A small plaque on Calle de Alcalá marks the spot where the Teatro Apolo once stood. This was an important venue for the género chico, a theatrical phenomenon of one-act performances that debuted in Madrid.
Designed by French architects P. Chauderlot and F. Festau, the building opened in March 1873. It could hold 2,500 people and was a cátedra de la zarzuela madrileña. Despite its popularity, it struggled in its early years because the ticket prices were high and the location was far from the then city center.
The theatre flourished until 1929, when it was purchased by Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria. The bank demolished the structure to make room for its new headquarters, while the owners moved on to build the Teatro Nuevo Apolo.
Today, the site at number 45 is occupied by a building housing the Department of Finance and Administration of the City of Madrid. A memorial inscription remains on the site noting that the Teatro Apolo stood there from 1873 to 1929.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nik Frost
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