'A style without style that in the long run, by symbiosis, by amalgamation, becomes baroquism.' So wrote Cuban novelist and sometime architectural dabbler, Alejo Carpentier, of the ornate neobaroque Centro Gallego erected as a Galician social club between 1907 and 1914. Standing the test of time, the theater was renovated in 2013–14 and now sparkles afresh from its perch in Parque Central. Ask about guided tours at the box office.
The original Centro Gallego was built around the existing Teatro Tacón, which opened in 1838 with five masked Carnaval dances. This connection is the basis of claims by the present 2000-seat theater that it's the oldest operating theater in the Western hemisphere. History notwithstanding, the architecture is brilliant, as are many of the weekend performances.
