Louis Arcadio Espinal
From Santo Domingo to Broadway’s heart, Luis Arcadio Espinal rose as a vocal coach during NYC’s Golden Age—leaving a mark on music, theater, and immigrant history.
By CUNY Dominican Studies Institute
Based on research by Vivian Guerrero Aquino + Norma Guzman for CUNY DSI’s Ellis Island Project, documenting Dominican immigrant arrivals and stories.
Louis Arcadio Espinal Ellis Island Manifest (1894-09-02) by Robert B. KellyCUNY Dominican Studies Institute
Luis Espinal's arrival in NYC
In 1891, 18-year-old Luis A. Espinal embarked on a journey from Santo Domingo to NYC aboard the Saginaw. Over the next 50 years, he would experience two world wars and begin a prominent career in entertainment.
Louis Arcadio Espinal Census Line 15 (1910-04-21) by Mrs. Lucy R. PaigeCUNY Dominican Studies Institute
NYC to Missouri: a journey of transformation, 1910 Census
See line 15.
Luis Arcadio's journey from Santo Domingo led him to NYC, and eventually to Missouri, where, twenty years later, as Louis A., he became a respected vocal coach. Five years later, in 1915, he was once again living in New York, rooming at a boarding house on 5 East 16th Street.
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5 East 16th Street New York, NY
Louis Arcadio Espinal in Renacimiento Magazine (1917) by Juan S. Duran for Renacimento MagazineCUNY Dominican Studies Institute
1917: a Dominican homecoming
Louis Arcadio's 1917 return to the Dominican Republic was marked by a celebrated performance in Santo Domingo. The magazine Renacimiento noted the concert's warm reception by Dominican society.
Louis Arcadio Espinal Petition for Naturalization (1924) by United States Department of LaborCUNY Dominican Studies Institute
Becoming a citizen
In 1924, Louis Arcadio Espinal petitioned to become a naturalized U.S. citizen. By 1925, the directory listed him as a vocal teacher at the Hotel Marseille, where he remained until at least 1930.
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What was once known as Hotel Marseille, is now a luxury residential building.
Louis Arcadio Espinal US Census Line 47 (1940-04-11) by Department of Commerce Bureau of the CensusCUNY Dominican Studies Institute
Becoming a citizen
See line 47.
The 1940 census finds Louis Arcadio in Manhattan, head of a home near Times Square and the Theater District. Living blocks away from Broadway theaters and the Metropolitan Opera House, he's at the heart of it all.
Louis Arcadio Espinal New York Index of Death Certificates (1944) by NYC Department of RecordsCUNY Dominican Studies Institute
Louis Arcadio's passing
Louis Arcadio remained a bachelor until his death in 1944 at the age of 72. He was laid to rest in St. Raymond’s Cemetery in the Bronx.
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Where Louis Arcadio is laid to rest
St. Raymond's Old Cemetery, Bronx, NY
Based on research by Vivian Guerrero Aquino + Norma Guzman for CUNY DSI’s Ellis Island Project, documenting Dominican immigrant arrivals and stories.
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