Architecture sights in Cuba
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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 in its entirety 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. Sparkling once more after a recent restoration project, this skyline-dominating Havana giant nowadays cont…
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Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción
It might not be particularly old, but Santiago’s most important church, the imposing, five-nave Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción is stunning both inside and out. There has been a cathedral on this site since the city’s inception in the 1520s, though a series of pirate raids, earthquakes and dodgy architects put paid to at least three previous incarnations. The present cathedral, characterized by its two neoclassical towers and open-winged trumpeting archangel, was completed in 1922 and it is believed that the remains of first colonial governor, Diego Velázquez, are still buried underneath. Meticulously restored, the cathedral’s interior is a magnificent mélan…
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Catedral de San Cristóbal de La Habana
Dominated by two unequal towers and framed by a theatrical baroque facade designed by Italian architect Francesco Borromini, the graceful Catedral de San Cristóbal de La Habana was described by novelist Alejo Carpentier as ‘music set in stone.’ The Jesuits began construction of the church in 1748 and work continued despite their expulsion in 1767. When the building was finished in 1787, the diocese of Havana was created and the church became a cathedral – one of the oldest in the Americas. The remains of Columbus were interred here from 1795 to 1898 when they were moved to Seville. The best time to visit is during Sunday Mass (10:30am).
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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 a few Convertibles you can travel up to the tower for an eagle’s-eye view.
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Lonja del Comercio
This large box-shaped building on Plaza de San Francisco is a former commodities market erected in 1909. In 1996 the building was completely renovated by Habaguanex and today it provides office space for foreign companies with joint ventures in Cuba. You can enter the Lonja to admire its central atrium and futuristic interior. It also houses the excellent café-restaurant El Mecurio, named after the bronze figure of the god Mercury that sits atop a dome on the roof.
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El Prado
Construction of this stately European-style boulevard (officially known as Paseo de Martí) began outside the city walls in 1770, and the work was completed in the mid-1830s during the term of Captain General Miguel Tacón. He also constructed the original Parque Central. The idea behind El Prado was to create in Habana a boulevard as splendid as any found in Paris, Florence or Madrid. The famous bronze lions that guard the central promenade at either end were added in 1928.
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Edificio Santo Domingo
Edificio Santo Domingo is located on the site of Havana’s old university between 1728 and 1902. It was originally part of a convent; the current incongruous office block dates from the 1950s when the roof was used as a helicopter landing pad. In 2006 Habaguanex rebuilt the convent’s original bell tower and inserted an elaborate baroque doorway onto the building’s eastern side. The result provides an interesting juxtaposition of old and new.
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Iglesia Parroquial Mayor del Espíritu Santo
The verging-on-decrepit Iglesia Parroquial Mayor del Espíritu Santo, originally constructed of wood in 1522 and rebuilt in stone in 1680, is said to be the oldest church in Cuba still standing on its original foundations (although the clock seems to have given out in recent years). While the interior isn’t particularly interesting, locals are proud of this place and the best time to peek is during Sunday morning Mass.
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Palacio Cueto
The square’s most distinctive building is the Gaudí-esque Palacio Cueto, Havana’s finest example of art nouveau that was constructed in 1906. 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 has recently pledged to restore the building, empty and unused since the early ’90s.
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Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen
The city’s oldest and most interesting church, the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen, four blocks north of Parque Vidal, was built in 1748, with a tower added in 1846. During the First War of Independence it was used as a jail for Cuban patriots. A modern cylindrical monument facing the church commemorates the spot where Santa Clara was founded in 1689 by 13 refugee families from Remedios.
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Catedral de la Purísima Concepción
The singular Catedral de la Purísima Concepción, dating from 1869 is distinguished by its French stained-glass windows. Surprise – it’s nearly always open.
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López Serrano Building
Resembling a miniature Empire State Building with the bottom 70 floors chopped off, the López Serrano building is Vedado’s most distinctive art deco construction.
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Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad
The handsome old Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad is the city’s second church whose internal arches are a favored nesting spot for Cuban sparrows.
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Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Buen Viaje
To the east of the center lies the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Buen Viaje, a riotous mix of Gothic, Romanesque and neoclassical architecture.
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Padre Pico steps
The picturesque Padre Pico steps are almost 100 years old and still hosting rousing games of dominoes; the steps lead to the Tivolí neighborhood.
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Calle Llano
A quintessential local street with cobblestones, wrought-iron balconies and wooden beams reminiscent of Trinidad.
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Iglesia de la Santísima Madre del Buen Pastor
South of the center is the colonial-style Iglesia de la Santísima Madre del Buen Pastor.
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