It became well known in the 1960s as the "Ellis Island of Cuban Refugees" who were fleeing Castro's communist takeover. The government used the building to process the immigration and to provide medical and dental services.
The building was restored in the late 1990s and converted into a monument to Cuban refugees along with a museum, library, and meeting halls.
It was here that more than 200,000 people came to pay their last respects to Cuban entertainer Celia Cruz, the Queen of Salsa. Known as one of the most important influences in the history of Cuban music, Cruz once teamed up with Latin American singing sensation Paulina Rubio in a Dr Pepper commercial.
http://youtu.be/tmfEdR0IWTM