A huge painting of Carlos Manuel de Cespedes, father of the revolution, greets visitors in the high- ceilinged lobby. The 400-seat theater is used not only for lectures and gatherings but also for stage productions. Recent ones have included Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story, staged by the Opera Miniatures of Key West. Its next opera presentation will be Caballero Rusticana. The institute also has become the permanent site for the annual Key West Literary Seminar, held every January, one of Key West's most prestigious events.
Visitors are welcome to browse through the stacks.
The building itself, with its imposing facade and lovely interior, is a standout on Duval Street. It was built in 1924 after the original structure was damaged in the hurricane of 1919. Cuban architect Francisco Centurion designed the two-story building in the Cuban baroque style of the period. Particularly attractive are the mosaic tiles used as wainscoting above the white marble staircase, the high ceilings, the wrought-iron balustrades and the Cubantile floors. One of those who taught at the institute under that arrangement was Dr. Benildes Ramond Sanchez.