By Mandy Bolen. keysnews.com
. Key West Citizen on Thursday, January 3, 2002
A decade has passed since the doors of the San Carlos Institute opened to
reveal the careful restoration project that took seven years and $3 million to
complete.
An anniversary celebration Saturday will commemorate the historic
significance and cultural value of the structure in the middle of the 500 block
of Duval Street, which will be closed to traffic that evening for a concert.
But the building that now houses a theater, art gallery, classroom space and
museum was in jeopardy in the 1970s when it was deemed structurally unsafe and
closed to the public.
The institute, founded in 1871 by Cuban exiles working to organize a Cuban
independence movement, eventually became a bilingual and integrated elementary
school, said San Carlos president Rafael Penalver.
The educational mission of the institute continued for more than a century,
but the failing structure forced the students out. Formally named the San Carlos
Patriotic and Educational Institute, it remained closed for more than 10 years
before Penalver led a charge to restore it and make it accessible.
Marti sculpture
Named after the Seminario San Carlos in Cuba, the institute echoes the
teachings and philosophy of independence of Father Felix Varela, who taught at
the Cuban seminary, Penalver said.
"It is the cradle of the Cuban independence movement, and stands as the
symbol of the eternal values of the Cuban people," he said.
The San Carlos also housed the offices of the Cuban consulate from 1924-61,
and welcomed Cuban patriot Jose Marti. A sculpture of the leader stands on the
first floor of the museum, and is a point of interest in the guided tours
available there.
"People of Cuban descent come to the San Carlos almost in a spirit of
pilgrimage," Penalver said. "They go away knowing a little more about
their heritage and history."
Elizabeth and Ernesto Lima-Rodriguez are a brother-sister team of guides who
left Cuba when they were 2 and 3 years old, respectively. Their family settled
in Canada, but the siblings moved to Key West just four months ago.
Elizabeth pointed to the Marti sculpture while explaining the significance
of its many components.
A painting of a white rose hangs nearby in remembrance of Marti's legendary
poem and strategizing mechanism about the cultivation of white rose that has
been translated into hundreds of languages and remains a powerful piece of
writing and history for the Cuban culture.
New exhibit
Cuba's independence movement will be discussed Saturday during a historical
symposium given by a panel of historians. Also, the museum will open a new
exhibit focusing on Cuba's centennial anniversary of becoming a republic on May
20, 1902. The centennial events will take place throughout the year.
Other topics in the symposium include "Years of the Republic, 1902 to
1958," "Revolution and Exile, 1959 to 2001" and "The Future
of Cuba."
An evening of music follows the afternoon of history, and Cuban pianist
Enrique Chia will perform a free outdoor concert at 7 p.m. while accompanied by
maestro Alfredo Munar's symphony orchestra.
mbolen@keysnews.com
IF YOU GO
The "Instauration of the Cuban Republic" exhibit opens at noon
Saturday at the San Carlos. A symposium examining 100 years of Cuban history
begins at 2 p.m. and includes four hour-long sessions. The Enrique Chia concert
begins in front of the museum at 7 p.m. and is free to the public. For more
information, call 294-3887. | 
