‘Little Spain’ Returns: West 14th Corner To Be Co-Named "Little Spain–La Nacional Way"

Before West 14th Street became lined with chain stores and crowded subway exits, the single block between Seventh and Eighth Avenues was known to locals as Calle Catorce — Little Spain. That historic name is now coming back to the streetscape: the intersection of West 14th Street and Eighth Avenue will be officially co-named Little Spain–La Nacional Way in honor of generations of Spanish immigrants who made this stretch between Chelsea and Greenwich Village their home during the 20th century.

Roots and Neighborhood Life

Although it never achieved the fame of Manhattan’s Little Italy or Chinatown, Little Spain grew into a compact, tightly knit enclave of restaurants, shops, religious sites and social clubs. Establishments such as La Bilbaína, Trocadero Valencia, Bar Coruña, Café Madrid, Mesón Flamenco and El Faro served residents, while Iberia supplied Spanish clothing. A longtime Spanish food and gift shop, Casa Moneo, opened at 210 West 14th Street in 1929 and remained a neighborhood fixture for decades.

Institutions That Anchored the Community

Two institutions anchored Calle Catorce: the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, founded in 1902 as Spanish families settled in the area, and La Nacional — Spanish Benevolent Society. Founded in 1868, La Nacional evolved into both a gathering place and a safety net for newcomers, helping immigrants establish lives in New York while preserving language and cultural ties. La Nacional still operates today at 239 West 14th Street.

Cultural Traditions and Anecdotes

The neighborhood’s largest public celebration was the annual feast of St. James, a tradition that continued into the mid-1990s. For the occasion, residents carried an image of the saint along 14th Street, halted traffic on the block and filled the neighborhood with Spanish food, music and folk performances — a vivid reminder of the community’s cultural vitality.

Little Spain even intersects with New York’s cultural history: in the 1950s the young Robert De Niro reportedly lived with his mother, artist Virginia Admiral, in a top‑floor studio at 219 West 14th Street, a property owned by Galician entrepreneur José García.

Present Day and the Co-Naming

Over the decades many of Little Spain’s businesses closed and much of the community dispersed, but the co-naming seeks to recognize and preserve the neighborhood’s history for residents and visitors alike. The new street sign will be unveiled at noon on Monday, September 21, during Hispanic Heritage Month. A reception at La Nacional will follow, while the permanent sign overhead will serve as a lasting tribute to the corner’s past as the heart of Calle Catorce.

Address to Remember: La Nacional — Spanish Benevolent Society, 239 West 14th Street.