The story of the Casal Català of New York (Catalan Society) commences in 1920 with the Centre Nacionalista Català (Catalan Nationalist Center). This organization in defense of Catalonia was founded by Joan Ventura Sureda, who worked with other Catalan exiles to promote Catalan language and culture by organizing activities. Some members of the Casal Català had arrived from Cuba after the Spanish-American War, and others had come directly from Catalonia, seeking opportunities.

From the start of the Primo de Rivera dictatorship (1923) until the end of the Spanish Civil War (1939) the Center played an active role in politics. Some members with American citizenship renounced their Spanish nationality as a form of resistance. The Casal raised funds for the Catalan Anti-Fascist Committee of new York and in the 1940’s, petitioned the United Nations to expel the Franco regime.

That same decade, the Catalan Nationalist Center is dissolved to establish the Casal Català of New York, which organizes cultural events in the city until 1963, when it is, in turn, dissolved, in a moment of urban decline which gave rise to the flight to the suburbs. In the 90’s, the Catalan community regroups as the Friends of Catalonia, which then evolves to become the Catalan Institute of America it is today. One century later, the Casal continues to serve the Catalan community of New York through cultural, language, and social events reflecting Catalan culture.