Spanish Benevolent Society

The Spanish Benevolent Society, also known by residents as La Nacional, is the oldest American club serving the Spanish American community in the New York City borough of Manhattan since the year of its foundation, 1868. It is located at 239 West 14th Street and is in the heart of the now disappeared Little Spain.

History

File:Little Spain Manhattan 14Street.jpg

A picture from Little Spain in the 60s.

Many relevant artist, expatriads, immigrants and personalities have lived at the society as resident artists during the more than 150 years of its existence, like Picasso, Dalí, Buñuel, or Federico García Lorca. In 2010 Spanish American filmmaker and writer Artur Balder, who lived in the building as resident artist for more than one year, created the documentary Little Spain, displaying for first time the untold history of this society. The archive contains more than 450 photographs and 150 documents that have never been publicly displayed. They present the history of the streets of Little Spain in New York City throughout the 20th Century.

Mission

The Spanish Benevolent Society is an American not-for-profit organization. Since its founding in 1868, the primary objective of the Spanish Benevolent Society has been to promote, encourage and spread the spirit of fraternity and solidarity among Spanish and Hispanic-American residents in the United States. Housed in a graceful brownstone on 14th street - at the crossroads of Greenwich Village, Chelsea and the Meatpacking District the Society's members preserve the Spanish tradition. They support the Spanish American society and maintain the expression and promotion of its culture.