Casa Iberia, Inter-American and Hispanic Studies Center

Rollins College

Purchased and presented by alumni and other friends of Rollins College as a permanent center for Inter-American and Hispanic studies and activities;

dedicated October 30^th, 1944 by Florida Governor Spessard L. Holland.

Casa Iberia Through the Years 

Founded in 1942, Casa Iberia has been an important part of Rollins College as well as the surrounding communities.  Even though the building itself was not dedicated until 1944, the events and programs in Florida and Rollins College that led to its construction were of great significance and ended up shaping the ultimate purpose and course that Casa Iberia took.  Founded by two Rollins professors, Alfred Jackson Hanna and Angela Paloma Campbell, Casa Iberia experienced a Golden Age where it was a cultural center for Hispanics in Central Florida.  It served as a center for adult Spanish classes and culture classes, seminars of all types, and most importantly, a home for the people that loved Hispanic culture.

This small yet impressive building has also seen its share of important people.  Casa Iberia has been host to many political figures such as the president of Costa Rica, José “Pepe” Figueres, and Adolfo López Mateos, president of Mexico, who both came to Casa Iberia to lecture to students, faculty, staff, and the surrounding community.  Well-known Spaniards including Salvador de Madariaga and Ramón J. Sender also lectured within the walls of Casa Iberia and were even overnight guests.  Guests of Casa Iberia were always enchanted not only by the beautiful building, but more importantly, by what it stood for.  A deep appreciation for the hospitality set forth by the faculty, staff, and students is reflected in the Guest Books as well as in the correspondence of these guests. 

All of the programs and projects sponsored by Casa Iberia, which included Pan American Week, the Cervantes Festival, and the Cafezinho Book Review series, inspired residents and guests alike to give a little back.  Alexander Weddell, one of Casa’s earlier guests and former ambassador to Argentina and Spain, was so impressed by what he found in the small city of Winter Park that he made a handsome contribution to Rollins College in order to establish and support an endowed chair of the Hispanic and Inter-American Studies Department, which later came to be known as the Weddell Professorship of the Americas.  It was through generous donations and contributions like this one that Casa Iberia began to grow and succeed.  Even today, some of the furniture, artifacts, books, and other such donations can be seen within its walls or safely kept at the Rollins Olin Library Archives.

"As the immigration from Cuba is growing from year to year, the study of Spanish has become almost necessary here in our Southern Colleges."

Rollins College 1890/91 Catalogue

Cafezinho Book Review, Cervantes Garden

Casa Iberia Cervantes Garden

Murillo Room, 1944

Casa Iberia came to be known locally and internationally as a place of intellectual growth for the Hispanic community.  In the 40s, 50s, and 60s Casa Iberia was the headquarters for the Hispanic Institute of Florida, a section of El Instituto de las Españas founded by Federico de Onís.  Unfortunately, by the mid 1970s, Casa Iberia entered a dark age and eventually no one was left to defend its original mission: to bring Latin America, the United States, and Spain closely together in order to preserve and strengthen Hispanic culture, language and spirit.  Casa Iberia spent some years in the hands of other campus groups and organizations that used her solely as a building.

It was not until recently that the heritage of Casa Iberia was rediscovered and Casa itself was turned over to the Modern Languages and Literatures Department so that it could once again take its place among important Rollins buildings.  After some research conducted by the department’s faculty, staff, students, and others around campus, Casa Iberia was reestablished as office and general space for the Hispanic Studies Program.  With its rededication on March 21, 2002, the students, faculty, as well as the local and global communities are once again able to work towards a common goal: the education of, and for, the global Hispanic community.

Casa Iberia is now at the heart of the Hispanic Studies Program; a program that not only fosters education through Spanish majors and minors, but also offers the community the opportunity to learn more about the Hispanic culture.  In just the past four years, as in its early years, Casa Iberia has been host to several film clubs and festivals, conferences, symposia, and other cultural events that have brought the Rollins, local, and global communities together in the spirit of cultural exchange and dialogue.

2002 Casa Iberia Rededication Ceremony