Landmark sights in Havana
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A
US Interests Section
The modern seven-story building with the high security fencing at the western end of this open space is the US Interests Section, first set up by the Carter administration in the late 1970s. Surrounded by hysterical graffiti, the building is the site of some of the worst tit-for-tat finger-wagging on the island. Facing the office front is the Plaza de la Dignidad, built during the Elián González saga to host major in-your-face protests under the nose of the Americans. Concerts, protests and marches – some one-million strong – are still held here.
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B
Edificio Focsa
Unmissable on the Havana skyline, the modernist Edificio Focsa was built in 1954–56 in a record 28 months using pioneering computer technology. In 1999 it was listed as one of the seven modern engineering wonders of Cuba. With 39 floors housing 373 apartments, it was, on its completion in June 1956, the second-largest concrete structure of its type in the world, constructed entirely without the use of cranes. Falling on hard times in the early '90s, the upper floors of the Focsa became nests for vultures, and in 2000 an elevator cable snapped killing one person. Rejuvenated once more after a restoration project, this skyline-dominating Havana giant nowadays contains…
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C
Capitolio Nacional
The incomparable Capitolio Nacional is Havana's most ambitious and grandiose building, constructed after the 'Dance of the Millions' had gifted the Cuban government a seemingly bottomless treasure box of sugar money. Similar to the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC, but (marginally) taller and much richer in detail, the work was initiated by Cuba's US-backed dictator Gerardo Machado in 1926 and took 5000 workers three years, two months and 20 days to build at a cost of US$17 million. Formerly it was the seat of the Cuban Congress, but since 1959 it has housed the Cuban Academy of Sciences and the National Library of Science and Technology.
Constructed with white…
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D
Edificio Bacardí
Finished in 1929, the magnificent Edificio Bacardí is a triumph of art deco architecture with a whole host of lavish finishings that somehow manage to make kitschy look cool. Hemmed in by other buildings, it's hard to get a full kaleidoscopic view of the structure from street level, though the opulent bell tower can be glimpsed from all over Havana. There's a bar in the lobby, and for CUC$1 you can travel up to the tower for an eagle's-eye view.
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E
Palacio del Segundo Cabo
Wedged into the square's northwest corner, this building was constructed in 1772 as the headquarters of the Spanish vice-governor. After several reincarnations as a post office, the palace of the Senate, the Supreme Court, the National Academy of Arts and Letters, and the seat of the Cuban Geographical Society, the building is today a well-stocked bookstore. Pop-art fans should take a look at the palace's Sala Galería Raúl Martínez. The building was being renovated at time of writing.
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F
Palacio Cueto
Kissing the southeast corner of Plaza Vieja is this distinctive Gaudí-esque building, which remains Havana's finest example of art nouveau. Its outrageously ornate facade once housed a warehouse and a hat factory before it was rented by José Cueto in the 1920s as the Palacio Vienna hotel. Habaguanex, the commercial arm of the City Historian's Office, is in the process of restoring the building, which was constructed in 1906 and has lain empty and unused since the early '90s.
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G
Quinta de los Molinos
The former stately residence of General Máximo Gómez, the Quinta sits amid lush botanical gardens on land that once belonged to Havana University. The residence and grounds seem to be stuck in a perennial renovation project, with promises of a new museum and touched-up botanical gardens in the ever-distant future. The potential is huge.
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H
Cámara Oscura
On the northwestern corner of Plaza Vieja is this clever optical device providing live, 360-degree views of the city from atop a 35m-tall tower. Explanations are in Spanish and English.
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I
Russian Embassy
In case you were wondering, that huge Stalinist obelisk that dominates the skyline halfway down Av Quinta is the Russian (formerly Soviet) embassy, testament to the days when Castro was best mates with Brezhnev et al.
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