Blog 3 - The Old Buildings of Old Havana
With its original founding capital Old Havana being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, architecture in Cuba is a sight to see. The unique stylistic blends of Havana’s buildings were influenced by many different places and time periods. The earlier buildings in Cuba were designed and built by the Spanish during colonial times. These included a lot of military forts and religious buildings like churches. A lot of the buildings erected during this time period are reflective of the types of houses built in Spain using mainly wood and stone. One famous structure built during this time period was the Havana Cathedral. It was designed in Baroque style and opened its doors in 1777. It once held the remains of Christopher Colombus and currently serves as the seat of the archdiocese of San Cristobal de la Habana. As the colonial time period progressed, other styles from Europe including renaissance, neoclassicism and moorish became more widely utilized.
After colonial rule by the Spanish came to an end, Cuba once again saw an emergence of new architecture and artistic ideas as American investment started coming to the island. Styles including art deco, art nouveau and eclecticism became popular in the early 20th century. One famous structure from this time period includes the Hotel Nacional de Cuba. This Spanish eclectic style hotel towered over the landscape when it was first opened in 1930 and is still in operation today. It boasts over 450 rooms and is situated right on the coastline looking out over the Ocean. It became famous for hosting the “Havana Conference”, a high profile American mob meet up organized by the infamous gangster Charles “Lucky” Luciano.
In the recent past, a lot of the buildings in Old Havana have started to greatly deteriorate. Because Old Havana is a UNESCO world heritage site, efforts have been made to restore and preserve some of the more famous and important structures. Economic challenges during the 1990’s and onward have caused a lot of stagnation in the development of new buildings and structures in Cuba, so it’s important to preserve what is there for future generations.
What is your favorite style of architecture found in Cuba and why?
Are there any old buildings or structures that you would like to see and what is appealing about it to you?
My favorite style of architecture that can be found in Cuba is Baroque. Although I have an appreciation for all styles, the attention to detail in buildings classified as Baroque is exquisite. The beautiful archways matched with the columns provide a sense of regalness to a country where it may not be expected. The designs and meticulous work that can be found at the top of the building, and along the window frames are impressive. This style of architecture juxtaposed with the crumbling or bright-colored buildings represents Cuba's complex history.
ReplyDeleteWhile in Cuba, I would be interested to see the Presidential Palace, which is now identified as the Museum of the Revolution. Not only is the architecture here beautiful, but the history held inside this building interests me.
I largely agree with this summary of Havana's architecture. As for your questions:
ReplyDelete1. Moorish and Spanish are my favorite styles, as I have previously studied in Southern Spain and I am thus interested in seeing how these styles have been transplanted into Latin America.
2. I'm interested in seeing several buildings including El Capitolio and Plaza de la Catedral. Old buildings interest me because of there generally more intricate and creative architectural styles than contemporary buildings, but also because of their histories.
This is a good summary, though I think it was lacking a bit of your personal viewpoint. As for your questions:
ReplyDelete1. Personally I have always been a big fan of the bauhaus movement. The emphasis on simple designs and interesting materials can lead to incredibly beautiful buildings if implimented correctly. Geometric shapes and minimalist sensibilities are a killer combination, in my opinion. It can also be incredibly boring if done incorrectly, but the examples I saw from Havana all looked great.
2. I would like to see the old churches and moorish colonial buildings. Moorish architecture is really cool, and I love seeing the intricacies of church facades. A couple of years ago I went to Barcelona and was lucky enough to visit the Sagrada Familia. It was absolutely stunning and kickstarted my interest in touring all churches. I also got to visit a Moorish castle in Sintra, Portugal that was incredible.
My favorite architecture type would probably be moorish/spanish, I got to see alot of in when I traveled in Spain and I think it is absolutely wonderful. It is very intricate and it's design seems to take a good deal of thought and time which is very cool.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to look at the churches in Havana, my favorite type of architecture to look at is religious. You can tell a lot about a country based off how they structure and build their places of worship. The time and dedication really make it all worthwhile to go to mass and find a place closer to God and other members of the community.