Architecture in Cuba

I am a fan of time travel and immerse myself in books where I can participate.  In Cuba, the time machine is working very well.  Havana was a bustling city with much wealth in the 30's, 40's, 50's. The buildings reflect this and because there has been few resources to drive growth, these building have been able to continue standing.  Though most are in awful repair.  The government is now working on the main buildings in Old Havana and along Prada street. 

More than 350 buildings were restored between 1981-2004 and in 1982, Old Havana was named a UNESCO world heritage site. UNESCO originally designated 444 sites in Old Havana for preservation and a little more than half have been completed.

Hotel Nacional de Cuba has a strong US history.  It was designed by a NY architecture firm and is similar to the Breakers in West Palm Beach.  The hotel was built on the site of the Santa Clara Battery, which dates back to 1797. Part of the battery has been preserved in the hotel's gardens, including two large coastal guns, the Krupp and the Ordóñez, dating from the late 19th Century.

Some historical highlights:  Havana was the playground for US rich and famous and they stayed at the hotel. Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner, Mickey Mantle, Johnny Weissmuller, John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Marlon Brando and Ernest Hemingway are just a few of the names.  

In December 1946 it hosted a mob summit run by Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky, as reproduced in The Godfather part II.  By 1955, Lansky owned a piece of the hotel now managed by Pan Am's Intercontinental Hotels corporation. A casino was added in 1956. But Castro closed the casino in 1960 and the hotel fell into disrepair.

After being designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1982, the hotel went through an extensive refurbishing that was completed in 1992.  While it is beautiful, even magical. I recommend staying elsewhere and just visiting. Fellow travelers had many issues with water and toilets in their rooms.

beautiful fixtures throughout

entrance to the old casino are bar area

Hotel logo on their china

painted beamed ceilings

a touch of cuba with moorish tilework

several clocks in the lobby

Catedral de San Cristóbal  was built on swamp land- the center of old Havana. The surrounding Plaza de la Catedral became the location of some of the grandest mansions at the time. The Jesuits built this church by 1777.

Cathedral of Havana 1777

Considered austere for a Baroque style church

3 story wooden doors at the entrance. These locks are shaped like the pope's hat

renovated buildings in the plaza

Courtyard of hotel

Rennovated buildings at Old Square (Plaza Vieja)

another hotel courtyard

art deco style with a touch of Cuba

Palacio Cueto 1906 warehouse, hat factory, then hotel

typical old town street view - restored buildings

concert hall

Towers lit at night

side street old Havana

across from Capitolio on Prada

art deco design

typical inhabited old town building

typical shutters

typical wall of un-referbished building

Asturian Center 1927 - now art museum

next to front door of police station

restored window molding and grill

weathered shutters

1930's woman's hospital

a park across from le Malecon

Capitolio Nacional - remarkably similar to US Capitol