CUBAN TRANSITIONS

This long parade of architectural wonders, an array of decaying buildings with vivid colors faded with time, hold a certain beauty. Despite their flaws, and despite debatable conservation efforts, the buildings of Havana are sure to impress with some of the most diverse architectural styles in the world.

As tired as I was from the various plane mishaps on our journey, when we first drove the bus through Havana I couldn’t help but look up in awe at the  stunning neoclassical style buildings that surrounded the city. Tall narrow doorways, wrought iron grilles, and an abundance of columns from various artistic styles make Havana the architectural marvel that it is today. The styles vary; Art Noveau can be seen on Hotel Nacional  , Neoclassical on El Templete,  Eclectic on the renowned Capitolio and Modernist in many post WWII Soviet Style buildings.

The increase in Cuba’s sugar production in the late 19^th century brought the neoclassical architectural style to prominence. Cuba’s key trading location between the Americas and Spain generated a steady flow of hard currency to Havana, capital that would serve to create many of the beautiful buildings we see in contemporary Havana. [1]Heavy American investment in Pre-Revolution Cuba modernized the city’s architecture and shaped Havana’s characteristic appearance.[2]

Intriguing about Cuban architecture was the way Cubans utilized their living spaces. Walking the streets many doors were visibly open, the interiors of living rooms exposed to all passersby, almost as if welcoming other members of the community to enter. I’m uncertain if this was an original intention in the architectural styles but it certainly serves to accommodate the warmth and openness of the Cuban people. The overhanging balconies sometimes projected so far out along the narrow streets that the spheres of public and private seem to become one in the same.

Alternatively, it’s difficult to view this array of beautiful buildings and not lament the fact that such architectural marvels are literally crumbling. From our Westernized perspectives, it seems shameful to let buildings of such splendor face the kind of decay and lack of conservation that those in Havana do.

While strolling the Malecon one night, I spoke to a small, unassuming young Cuban woman about the architecture of Havana. I asked her about how she felt for the past couple of decades watching these glorious buildings crumble. Was it just another sacrifice Cubans had to make for the Revolution?

She smirked at me and chuckled. She responded that with the U.S. embargo in place, Cuba doesn’t have the financial resources to provide these buildings with the type of conservation they need. Furthermore, the government has more important needs to spend its money on.

Despite her response, I wonder if the crumbling of these buildings parallels a crumbling of the Revolution’s original ideals. Havana is full of buildings considered dangerous and uninhabitable but due to the housing shortage in Cuba, people still choose to live in them. At the same time, the Cuban government has chosen to restore historically significant buildings in Old Havana for the growing tourist industry. Is choosing to serve the more financially viable tourist industry over the basic housing needs of the Cuban population a reappropriation of the goals of the Revolution or just a step towards capitalism?