New York City renames west 14th street ‘Little Spain’
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New York City officials recently renamed a section of West 14th Street as ‘Little Spain’, formally recognising the area’s long history as a hub for Spanish immigrants.
The block between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in Manhattan now bears the new name, a tribute to the century-old Spanish community that grew around La Nacional, the oldest Spanish institution in the United States. La Nacional, formally the Spanish Benevolent Society, was founded in 1868 to support Spanish and Hispanic American residents.
It provided housing, food, healthcare, and even funeral services to newcomers beginning in the late 19th century. In 1925, the organisation purchased a building on West 14th Street, opening a restaurant that became a central gathering place for the community. Hundreds of Spanish immigrants established new lives near La Nacional, working as dockworkers, construction labourers, tobacco vendors, and domestic workers. They soon opened businesses, restaurants, and other institutions, including Goya and Café Bustelo.
The area gained a reputation as a welcoming place for those seeking opportunity in the United States, and the poet Federico García Lorca reportedly spent his first night in New York at La Nacional in 1929. Today, La Nacional continues to host cultural and social events, and remains a community centre for Spanish people in New York City.
