Localization

The Tomás Terry theater is one of the most elegant buildings in the city of Cienfuegos, which together with the similar Sauto theater (Matanzas), and the La Caridad theater (Santa Clara), make up the trilogy of theaters that existed in Cuba in the 19th century.

The stage of the magnificent building witnessed numerous landmarks in Cuban music, as well as the performances by international values like Enrico Caruso and Anna Pavlova. 

History

Tomás Terry Adán (1808–1886) was a Venezuelan human trafficker and businessman in Cuba, who became the richest person in Cuba in the 19th century. He arrived in Havana in 1829 and moved to Cienfuegos in 1830. He collected his initial capital through the slave trade, and later got richer by employing these slaves in his sugar mills. His fortune reached more than 25 million dollars at his death in 1886.

Before his death, he donated 60.000 pesos for the construction of a luxury theater in growing Cienfuegos that would be known and remembered throughout the island with its renowned artists. 50.000 pesos would be spent for the construction, and the remaining 10.000 pesos would be spent for the school for poor children that would be sustained by money to be transferred from the proceeds of the theater in the future. However, his health that was getting worse, didn’t allow him to carry out his project. In 1886 he went to Paris with his wife and sons to find a cure for his deteriorating health, but he died there a few months later.

In the year following the death of Tomás Terry, his sons, Francisco (Panchito) and José Emilio Terry y Dorticós, arrived in Cienfuegos to divide their father's enormous wealth among the heirs. On this occasion, they offered to donate to realize their father's desire for the theater and school project. More than half of the 115,000 pesos, earmarked for donation, was paid by Tomás Terry's widow, Teresa Dorticós Gómez de Leys, and the rest by other members of the family. A commission, named Succession of Don Tomás Terry, was established, and started a project competition for the theater building. The project of Lino Sánchez Mármol, the military engineer from Santiago, was awarded for the first prize by the jury, formed in France.

The construction of the theater building started on December 19, 1887, and it was ready to open its doors to the theater lovers already in November, 1888. However, for the inauguration of the building had to wait for the arrival of the members of the family Terry from Paris. Finally, the theater was inaugurated with a splendid ceremony on February 12, 1890.

In 2008, the building received the National Conservation Award for the value of the systematic conservation action that is carried out in the building, and the institution that managed the magnificent building, was awarded the National Vanguard for the comprehensive preservation of the original appearance, area, and functionality of the property with the restoration work carried out years ago.

Along with other historic buildings in the city center, the Tomás Terry theater was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2005.