Origins Mar i Terra

The Societat Mar i Terra was founded in 1898 and Josep Segura was commissioned to design its building in the same year. Originally, Mar i Terra was a recreational society, butin 1900 it became a mutual benevolent society, with the aim of lending support to its members. The society also played a simultaneous recreational and educational role, having its own theatre, and its board of directors set about creating a library and schools, as well as organising conferences. In 1906 the Saint Catherine order of Franciscan nuns established an orphanage in El Jonquet and offered their services on the ground floor of the Mar i Terra building. This became the site of the orphanage until 1916, when it was relocated to another part of the city.

In 1907 the Marian Congregation, which had been founded in 1905 in the Santa Catalina neighbourhood and was then led by Antonio Massot, rented the Mar i Terra premises for its activities: entertainments for young people, plays, conferences and so on. In 1916, the building became a national school for children and from 1935 was rechristened the Colegio Público Jaume I. In 1943 a ball de bot (traditional Mallorcan dance) society was formed, which offered classes in dance and traditional musical instruments.

The Teatro Mar i Terra was the first building in the area to be devoted to culture and leisure.

Palma city council has renovated the Teatro Mar i Terra with the aim of restoring a key part of the city's architectural heritage and continuing the decentralisation of Palma's cultural facilities by offering residents the chance to use the spacein the time-honoured ways.