Musicians performing on stage during the dedication ceremony of the just-opened Villa Victoria Cultural Center.

1986

Claudio Ragazzi (left) and another guitarist perform on stage during the opening ceremony of the Villa Victoria Cultural Center. Speakers and dignitaries sit at the back of the stage. Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción, led by Jorge Hernandez, purchased the former church on West Newton Street in Boston's South End, and renovated it into a cultural center and performing arts venue for the city's Hispanic community. The Villa Victoria Cultural Center opened in 1986. It was renamed the Jorge N. Hernandez Cultural Center in honor of Hernandez, whose funeral was held in the newly refurbished space just a few weeks after the inaugural ceremony.