Here’s how you’ll spot the Jordão Theatre: Look for a large, striking stone building with big letters spelling “TEATRO JORDÃO” above bold black-framed windows-right beside D. Afonso Henriques Avenue, with its straight lines and an imposing, almost cinematic presence.
Now, as you stand in front of this grand façade, let’s imagine Guimarães back in the 1930s-a city desperately craving a proper venue for plays, concerts, and movies. Picture the dust settling on two shabby, closed theaters: the old Gil Vicente Theatre was tangled in legal disputes and Afonso Henriques Theatre had finally given up the ghost after years of crumbling quietly in the background. Things were so dire, locals wishing for a film had to leave Guimarães altogether, carrying their popcorn elsewhere and no doubt muttering, “There’s got to be a better way!”
That’s when an electrifying-quite literally-figure burst onto the scene: Bernardino Jordão, the man who brought electricity to Guimarães. In January 1937, he boldly promised the local paper, “I’m going to build that much-needed theatre!” Not one to break promises, he set his trusted architect, Júlio José de Brito-the very same who’d designed Porto’s iconic Rivoli Theatre-loose on the challenge. After much site scouting and pencil-chewing, construction began on Cândido dos Reis Avenue, now D. Afonso Henriques Avenue.
This was no small job. Imagine the chaos-all those trucks and workers bustling around, enough materials to fill a 9.2-kilometer train. The pine used would have built a double road all the way from Toural Square to the Penha Sanctuary! And for the electricity? They packed in nearly a thousand lamps-the whole station-to-Vizela distance could have been illuminated, 10 meters at a time. If only charging your mobile phone was so dramatic!
Finally, on a crisp November day in 1938, the theatre opened its doors. It could seat over 1,200 eager guests, ready for everything from high drama to the latest big-screen flicks. But, in classic political fashion, the shiny new theatre’s name hadn’t even settled in-first called Martins Sarmento Theatre, it was only after Jordão’s passing that it officially became Jordão Theatre in 1940.
Fast-forward to the 1990s-imagine the doors closing in December 1993, the stage falling silent. Nearly thirty years ticked by, the grand halls gathering dust… until, like a true drama, a restoration project began! There were some hiccups, with construction bids falling through and old beams creaking with anticipation. But finally, in 2022, the theatre roared back to life-now a vibrant school for the arts, humming with music, performance, and paint-splotched students racing to class.
And as if the story needed another happy ending, in 2023, Jordão Theatre was crowned with the National Real Estate Award for Collective Entrepreneurship. So, the next time someone complains about construction delays, just remind them: great things take time, and sometimes, a few wagons of pine! Now, ready to walk on to the next adventure?
