Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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Bookishly extravagant. Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Today we're inside the Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where the humble act of opening a book took on grand architectural ambitions. Founded in 1837 by 43 Portuguese immigrants, just 15 years after Brazil's independence, the institution eventually moved into the building seen here, completed half a century later in a lavish Neo-Manueline style. Shelves soar over 70 feet around a vast reading room, crowned by a monumental stained-glass skylight that makes daylight part of the design.

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