Before West 14th Street became a corridor of chain stores and crowded subway entrances, one block between Seventh and Eighth Avenues was known as Calle Catorce—or Little Spain.
Now, the neighborhood’s name is returning to the corner: the intersection of West 14th Street and Eighth Avenue will be co-named “Little Spain–La Nacional Way,” commemorating the generations of Spanish immigrants who made this stretch between Chelsea and Greenwich Village their home during the 20th century.
Little Spain never became quite as famous as Manhattan’s Little Italy or Chinatown, but it developed its own tightly knit collection of restaurants, shops, religious institutions and social clubs. Businesses including La Bilbaína, Trocadero Valencia, Bar Coruña, Café Madrid, Mesón Flamenco and El Faro served the community, while Iberia supplied Spanish clothing. Casa Moneo, a Spanish food and gift shop, opened at 210 West 14th Street in 1929…