Lyceum

Lyceum

The Spanish Circle Social Club had been founded in Güines in 1887. Several years later, part of its membership spun off into the Spanish Society Social Club of Güines. The Spanish Circle continued functioning as such until 1901, with the imminent establishment of the Republic, when it was converted into Güines Artistic and Literary Lyceum which was its full name.

In 1926 under the dynamic presidency of Dr. Manuel Ortega O’Hallorans (aka.  Manele), the remodeled building was inaugurated, on #413 Máximo Gómez Street (formerly Real Street) and its corner with Clemente Fernández Street, which had now an upper floor, the main hall with granite floors and stucco columns.

This model President also provided the Lyceum with an oil painting of José Martí, by the famous artist from Güines and enthusiastic Lyceum member Miguel Díaz Salinero which hung in the institution’s main hall and also a baby grand Steinway piano, which was used by famous concert players who performed in the Lyceum’s halls.

This important remodeling job was due to the support of persons from Güines and others that through the purchase of life bonds of $500 each, made it possible. The purchase of a life bond meant a gift that the purchaser gave to the Lyceum, becoming a life member of the same.

Among the persons who purchased such bonds of $500 we can remember Alfonso Gómez Mena, Trino Alejo Padrón, José Agustín Suárez Hernández, Desiderio Hernández Piloto, Alfredo Rodríguez Bernal, José Díaz Valdivia and others.

Important and enthusiastic persons from Güines became Presidents of the institution, improving and making the same grow. We remember Dr. Alberto García Mendoza, José A. Suárez Hernández, Dr. Ramón Franqui Verdés, Dr. Ramón Casas Bacallao, who carried out the remodeling of the front part of the institution’s building and the side part of the same facing Clemente Fernández Street, Antonio María González Sigler who built all of the left wing of the building in the back, cemented the backyard where tennis and basketball could be played and acquired a good quantity of mahogany rocking chairs, Cesáreo Fraga, Carlos M. Valdés, Vicente López Ferrer and many others that escape our memory.

Among the literary acts, one of the most famous in the history of Güines and that of the Lyceum was the celebration of Floral Games in 1915, organized by the then President and Director of the Municipal Hospital, Dr. Alberto García Mendoza and by Dr. Francisco Piñol, Pastor of the Presbyterian Church, where a beauty contest was organized to elect the Queen of the Floral Games, Miss Onelia Bolado being chosen as such.

The Lyceum, throughout its existence, offered evenings of splendor and culture to Güines society with literary, historical and musical performances. We remember the evenings dedicated to Martí every year to commemorate the birthday of our Apostle, organized by its Fine Arts Section, whose first President was Mrs. María Fortuny de Carrara, assisted by a prominent group of beautiful and cultured ladies from Güines, among them, Dr. Nina Roca de García Curbelo, Dr. Raquel Ferráez de Labat, Dr. Olga Curí Francís, Dr. Carmela Alonso de Sardiña and Dr. Zenaida Valdés García, the latter one having replaced Mrs. Fortuny de Carrara as President of the Section.

There was a convocation for a literary contest about Martí, one year the literary piece had to be in prose and the next year in verse, judged by a tribunal composed of well-known and eminent intellectuals, men and women of known devotion and knowledge of Martí. The renowned poet from Güines Ernesto Fernández Arrondo, who belonged more than one time to Lyceum’s Board of Directors, was the organizer of these literary contests.

Speakers of the stature of Jorge Mañach Robato, Carlos Márquez Sterling, Rafael Zervigón Castellanos, Manuel Bisbé Alberni, Isidro Méndez, José Manuel and Néstor Carbonell Cortina and many others, paraded through Lyceum’s rostrum on different cultural evening acts, specially doing the eulogy of José Martí every January 28.

The artistic activities sponsored by the organization, allowed people from Güines to enjoy the art and talent of relevant figures such as Ernesto Lecuona, Ignacio “Bola de Nieve” Villa (“Snow Ball”), Gonzalo Roig, Ernestina Lecuona, Maruja González, Zoraida Marrero and poets and declaimers such as Gustavo Sánchez Galarraga, Alberto García Mendoza, Francisco Piñol, Rosita Trujillo and Ernesto Fernández Arrondo. Painting exhibitions were held in its halls, especially from our local painters Domingo Ramos Enríquez and Miguel Díaz Salinero.

The recreation and relaxation activities were also of very high quality. The Carnival Balls, especially during the 1920 and 1930 decades were famous, 4 were celebrated after the carnival, in the Spanish Society and Lyceum Social Clubs of Güines, two in each institution, its members enjoying all of them with a free pass.

The Flowers Ball held yearly during the month of May, where the Queen of the Flowers was elected and the best of all, Saint Julian Ball on January 28, commemorating the feast of the Patron Saint of Güines.

Cuba’s best orchestras were hired to perform in these events, from the era of the wind orchestras and groups, such as Félix González, Corbacho, Palenzuela and Enrique Peña until before Fidel Castro, the orchestras of Pachencho, Le Batard Brothers, Castro Brothers, Palau Brothers, Giant Orchestra of Antonio María Romeu, Benny Moré, the Kids from Spain and others, without forgetting the local groups and orchestras such as those of Manuel Taracido, Juan Tomás Romero, Valls Brothers, Pedro Romero, José “Cheo” Matienzo, Miguel Ángel Aguiar, Swing Casino of Rafael Sorí and others.

José Martí Library had a great quantity and quality of valuable books, which were fountains of knowledge to members of the institution.

In the sports field, the Lyceum sponsored throughout its history, baseball and basketball teams, which participated in championships held by Cuba's Athletic Amateur Union having won first places in several championships, and whose trophies, were in the display cases of this worthy institution.

Its modern building offered a lot of amenities to its members, with ample reading rooms, a well stocked bar and parlor games in its upper floor, such as pool, cards, dominoes, and others. Its main hall had room for more than 300 persons. Its spacious portals, where rocking chairs were placed, allowed its members to enjoy times of solace and relaxation with friends and at the same time, to watch the traffic and normal movement of vehicles and pedestrians on Máximo Gómez Street, one of the busiest in the Villa.

All of this came down upon the arrival of the Communist system in 1959. Castro and his gang confiscated the institution, stealing all its furniture, destroying the beautiful building and uprooting the backyard with its tennis and basketball courts. At the present moment, there is a so called library functioning there, whose inventory of course, will be for its most part, Marxist-Leninist literature so they can keep poisoning the minds of the few ones that attend the same. Poor Cuba, poor Güines and poor Lyceum!

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