Livraria Lello & Irmão, Porto

Livraria Lello & Irmão is a Porto bookshop and publisher on Rua das Carmelitas, housed behind this theatrical frontage. “Designed by engineer Francisco Xavier Esteves, the new building opened on the thirteenth of January nineteen oh six.” Its Neo-Gothic manner borrows the drama of medieval pointed arches, while Art Nouveau brings sinuous ornament.

Notice the broad arch around the doorway: above it, “three rectangular windows are flanked by painted figures representing Art and Science.” Foliage-like detail and geometric pattern make the façade feel almost like an illustrated book cover. Inside, “a large staircase gives access to the upper floor,” beneath a vast stained-glass skylight bearing the shop’s monogram and motto.

The business began in “eighteen sixty-nine,” under Ernesto Chardron, and the Lello brothers later took it over. “In twenty twenty-six, Livraria Lello was reclassified as a National Monument.”