Since its inception in 1838,
Teatro Tacón had occupied the north-western part of the site bounded by Paseo del Prado and Calle Consulado and Calles San Rafael and San José. Its auditorium hosted such European artists as
Enrico Caruso and
Sarah Bernhardt. During the first years of Cuban independence when thousands of immigrants arrived in Cuba from Spain, a new building addition was constructed around the concert hall of Teatro Tacón. Originally known as the Centro Gallego de La Habana, the building is decorated with sculptures by
Giuseppe Moretti representing benevolence, education, music and theatre. Currently, the principal venue is the
García Lorca Auditorium, with seats for 1,500 persons, it provides a home for the Cuban National Ballet Company, and for other dance companies and musical performances. During the 19th and 20th century, performances that took place on its stage include:
Ole Bull,
Enrico Caruso,
Fanny Elssler,
Jenny Lind,
Anna Pavlova,
Antonia Mercé,
Ruth Saint Denis,
Ted Shawn,
Teresa Carreño,
Vicente Escudero,
Maya Plisetskaya,
Clorinda Corradi,
Sarah Bernhardt,
Carla Fracci and
Alicia Alonso, as well as companies such as the
American Ballet Theatre, the
Royal Winnipeg Ballet,
Antonio Gades ballet, the Ballet of the
Colón Theatre of
Buenos Aires, the Ballet Folclórico of Mexico, plus other
ballet companies. ==Architecture==