Teatro Mauri Reopens in Valparaíso After Restoration

In June 2026, the renovated Teatro Mauri reopened on Cerro Bellavista in Valparaíso, Chile's historic main port. Designed by architect Alfredo Vargas Stoller, the modernist landmark first opened in 1951 as a cinema and performance venue. After a fire in the early 1990s, it fell into disuse. Acquired in 2015 by the Sociedad Chilena de Autores e Intérpretes (SCD), the restoration was led by architects Laura Garrido and Gregorio Garretón. The project, executed between 2024 and 2026 under technical inspection by Alonso Pizarro, restored the original single-volume interior while preserving the Art Deco facade. Key interventions included removing a temporary roof from 1991, excavating underground spaces for dressing rooms and technical areas, and adding a steel roof with trusses and carbon fiber structural reinforcement. The 1,200-square-meter interior now features a flexible concert hall with retractable seating for 195 to 780 people, designed exclusively for musical performances. The SCD initiative prevented the building from becoming a supermarket warehouse, with 10% state funding received in 2015. The venue focuses on Chilean music through open calls for artists. The restoration is part of Valparaíso's consolidation as a UNESCO Creative City of Music (designated 2019), occurring amid national budget cuts to cultural activities.