José Martí in the United States

Castle Clinton, also known as Castle Garden, is a circular structure that sits on the southernmost tip of Manhattan.  Built in 1811, it was first used as a military fort but was actually never used in battle.  The army vacated Castle Clinton in 1821 and then it became an entertainment center, an exhibition call, a theater, a beer garden, and an aquarium.

Castle Clinton is best known as one of America’s first and principal immigration landing station before Ellis Island from 1855- 1890. More than 8 Million people arrived to the US through this port including Jose Marti in 1880.

Many of Marti’s frequented sites are located in lower Manhattan including his office in 120 Front Street. This office is the location where Marti founded the revolutionary newspaper Patria, wrote his essays on New York City Life, and served as consul for Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina.

El Liceo and Martí-Maceo were two centers of Cuban culture where Cubans would gather during and after the years of Jose Marti for recreation and political gatherings. 

The Marti-Maceo Union was organized in 1904 by the Afro-Cuban community after Florida laws prohibited integrated social clubs. It is named after the white Jose Marti and the Afro-Cuban Antonio Maceo, leaders of Cuba’s war for independence. 

The Liceo Cubano was founded in 1886 and known as the “Cradle of Cuban Liberty”  but originally used as Vicente Martinez-Ybor’s first cigar factory. The center served as a Social and political club where Jose Marti gave two of his most famous speeches (“Con Todos Y Para Todos” and “Los Pinos Nuevos”) and planned resolutions that eventually became the United Cuban Revolutionary Party.

Marti called for unification of Cubans throughout the country to  bind together for Cuba’s Independence with his speech known as “The Liceo Speech,” where he started, “For suffering Cuba, the first word.”

The next day on November 27th, Marti returned to  give the manifesto titled “Resolutions,” that would become the preamble to the principles of the Cuban revolutionary party and ended with another famous speech known as “The New Pines.” 

This structure was designed by Leo Elliot in 1917 with $60,000. At this time about half of the community was Cuban and were heavily investing to support the Cuban independence. This club was meant to bring together and assist the Cuban immigrants in the community. 

Dedicated in aug 1948 by a cuban Society in tampa- Caballeros de la Luz (Gentlemen of the Light). This bust was made to commemorate that Marti is the inspiration for the Circulo Cubano de Tampa as he gathered Cubans together.

The original red brick Cuban Club house included a theater, library, classrooms, a cantina but was destroyed by a fire in April of 1916.  

This structure was meant to house the Cuban Club which functioned as a mutual aid institution to bring together the Cubans residents of Tampa, provide benefits to members and their families such as recreational spaces, educational resources, medical care, and to keep good relations with other clubs without involving political issues.