These innovative, organic Catalan-vaulted brick and terra-cotta structures were built on the site of a former country club in the far western Havana suburb of Cubanacán, which was once considered to be Havana's "Beverly Hills", and was then mainly reserved for Communist Party officials. The schools were conceived and founded by Fidel Castro and Che Guevara in 1961, and they reflect the utopian optimism and revolutionary exuberance of the early years of the Cuban Revolution.Rubin, D. (2000), World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre: The Americas, Taylor & Francis Over their years of active use, the schools served as the primary incubator for Cuba's artists, musicians, actors and dancers.
