T HI-: CUB A K !•: \- 1 ]•: W 13 



THE FOUNDLING HOSPITAL OF HAVANA 



To fully appreciate the value of this foundation one must look into its history from 

 the 3Tar 1852, when the Casa de lieneficencia, as it is called in Spanish, was founded. 



The Bishop of Havana, Fray I'lvelino de Compostela, anionfist other pious works, founded 

 in the years IfuST and 1GS8, a house for the rare of foundlings on the sjjot now oeeupied by the 

 SantaTeresa Convent, which as the charity had a very precarious existence, ultimately disap- 

 pearing altogether, ])assed to the Sisters of Santa Teresa, which building they occupy to this 

 da^^ 



In the year 1705, Bishop Fray Geronimo Valdes, successor to Fray Evelino Compostela, 

 continued the philanthropic project of his predecessor and founded what was called the Casa 

 Cuna and destined for this object the building known as the Convent of San Isidro, now the 

 property of the foundation. 



Not even the private donations, nor the protection of the government, nor the best wishes 

 of charitable people were sufficient to enable the Casa Cuna, which was then .situated at the 

 corner of Calles Oficios and Kicla, to carry on an orderly and j)rosperous existence; to the con- 

 trary, they were overcome with difficulties until the Presbitery Don Marianao de Arango, taking 

 advantage of a happy occasion that offered itself when he was named administrator of the 

 estate of the Senora Antonia Maria Menocal, devoted a sum of money amounting to $130,000 

 left by her for the repose of her soul, to the building and founding of a Maternity house in 

 conjunction with the Casa Cima. 



With this object he placed the matter before the King of Spain, who, by royal c<jnunand of 

 the 19tli day of February, 1830, approved of the foundation of the Casa de ^iaternidad with 

 the funds belonging to the Casa Cuna, the $130,000 left by Senora Antonia Maria Menocal, 

 as also funds given by the same founder, Senor Pre.sbitery Arango and various concessions of 

 the government, having as its first site that of the corner of Oficios and Ricla, and afterward 

 in the Calzada de Luis Gonzaga, now Reina, until 1842, when it was incorporated with the Casa 

 de Beneficencia on account of the similarity of the two institutions and expecially from the fact 

 that this latter foundation received annually without any charge whatever, all homeless chil- 

 dren above five years old, amounting then to forty or fifty. 



The Casa de Beneficencia had its origin at an earlier time when the Countess of Jaruco, and 

 the Marquesas de Cardenas and Penalver under date of March 17th, 1792, applied to the then 

 governor of the island, Don Luis de las Casas, for permission to establish a Casa de Beneficencia 

 to recover childen of both sexes and beggars for which purpose they would offer the sum of 

 $36,000 to start the work. The governor general received the proposition in good part and call- 

 ing together the bankers, merchants and other men of importance, placed the matter before 

 them with the happy result that the Casa de Beneficiencia became an accomplished fact. 



It was placed under the care of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, and under the 

 control of a council composed of various prominent people of which six at least had to belong to 

 the Ecomomic Society of Friends of the Country. 



The Foundation afterwards received the royal sanction. 



Canon Don Luis de Penalver gave a quarter of a caballeria of land situated in the spot called 

 la Caleta de San Lazro, then outside the city where the present building w'as erected, being 

 inaugurated with great pomp and ceremony, with 34 orphans on the 8th of December, 1794, 

 the commemoration of which there is a painting existing in the hospital itself. 



The building, which at the time of its inauguration only had the ground floor, was after- 

 ward increased in size by the addition of the upper story, which addition was brought about by 

 the efforts of Con Cornelio C. Coppinger, who in a relatively short period, from 1886 to 1895 

 and without relying on bazars, rafEes and other forms of help, constructed the chapel, depart- 

 ments for boy and girl workers,realizing thereby one of the most beneficial results for the children 

 under its care, and avoiding the necessity of sending them out into the city at a tender age, 

 enabling them to remain in the asylum until they had perfected their studies in the Arts and 

 Crafts that they were learning. 



The institution has always had the protection of the government, as an instance of which 



