Cuban Architecture

The purpose of this study was to document and define symbolic imagery found within the grounds of the Colon Cemetery in Havana, Cuba. Memorials erected to the dead use symbology to tell stories about the departed, giving us clues to the deceased’s values and philosophies, as well as their religion, ethnicity, social memberships, occupations, education, level of wealth, and thoughts on the afterlife (Keister, 2004). Using images of Colon Cemetery from a photographic documentary series, Havana: Behind the Facade, architectural and cemetery symbology was grouped into categories, researched for meaning, and sought for interpretations to reveal clues about Cuban culture and beliefs in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In general, these symbols revealed that this society believed in religious fervor, an afterlife, and a merciful God. This study serves to guide anyone who wants to interpret cemetery symbology. It opens the door to future studies on specific Cuban families and tombs. Most importantly, it visually preserves the symbology found on architecture and monuments within Colon Cemetery.

The purpose of this study was to document and define symbolic imagery found within the grounds of the Colon Cemetery in Havana, Cuba. Memorials erected to the dead use symbology to tell stories about the departed, giving us clues to the deceased’s values and philosophies, as well as their religion, ethnicity, social memberships, occupations, education, level of wealth, and thoughts on the afterlife (Keister, 2004). Using images of Colon Cemetery from a photographic documentary series, Havana: Behind the Facade, architectural and cemetery symbology was grouped into categories, researched for meaning, and sought for interpretations to reveal clues about Cuban culture and beliefs in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In general, these symbols revealed that this society believed in religious fervor, an afterlife, and a merciful God. This study serves to guide anyone who wants to interpret cemetery symbology. It opens the door to future studies on specific Cuban families and tombs. ...

This was my second trip to Havana and my second opportunity to work with the wonderful people at Unpack Studio. My project, Havana: Behind the Façade, is an ongoing effort to document Cuban architecture and current preservation practices in Havana. This was accomplished through meeting with and interviewing preservationist professionals and by building a photographic documentary series. As in 2017, I was accompanied by my husband, Frank Hellwig, and recognize that so much of my success has come from his assistance.

The transformative ethos underpinning the Cuban Revolution aimed at the creation of the New Socialist Man as conceived by Che Guevara. This was to be achieved through the expansion of culture and education and the instillation of Marxist–Leninist ideology and philosophy of history. As a materialisation of history, monuments were considered as key devices for the reification and public spread of the official ideology. This paper explores how the Cuban Revolution generated a new public monumental aesthetic resulting from the competing demands of political commissioners and artists. It argues that artists sustained a hidden transcript of resistance by promoting abstract art, under the increasing pressure of the regime to develop a monumental public symbolic and material space following Soviet realist models. The paper focuses in the period of higher socio-cultural repression between the mid-1970s and the start of the Special Period in 1990.

Il contributo (IT/ING) fornisce alcune indicazioni sul progetto di cooperazione internazionale Italia-Cuba denominato ¡Que no baje el telón! Conservación, Gestión y Puesta en Valor del Patrimonio Cultural del Instituto Superior de Arte de La Habana (ISA): Capacitación y Monitoreo, che ha come fine principale quello di valorizzare il patrimonio materiale delle architetture dell’ISA e del territorio del Municipio de Playa. Il DIDA, Dipartimento di Architettura dell'Università di Firenze, è responsabile della Componente B (direttore, Saverio Mecca; codirettore, Alessandro Merlo) volta a fornire le experties necessarie a restaurare e consolidare la Facultad de Arte Teatral (FAT). The contribution (IT / ING) provides some indications on the Italy-Cuba international cooperation project called ¡Que no baje el telón! Conservación, Gestión y Puesta en Valor del Patrimonio Cultural del Instituto Superior de Arte de La Habana (ISA): Capacitación y Monitoreo, whose main purpose is to enhance the material heritage of the architecture of the ISA and the territory of the Municipio de Playa. The DIDA, Department of Architecture of the University of Florence, is responsible for Component B (director, Saverio Mecca; co-director, Alessandro Merlo) aimed at providing the experties necessary to restore and consolidate the Facultad de Arte Teatral (FAT).

Quizás existe una dualidad irreconciliable entre las percepciones sobre La Habana que se producen dentro y fuera de Cuba. Fronteras adentro las ruinas se analizan de modo simple, con el pragmatismo nacional originado en la diversidad de todos los pasados revolucionarios: el épico, el austero, el de bonanza y el crítico, y matizado por las exigencias de la vida cotidiana. Los restos de derrumbes con los que el transeúnte se topa, significan para el cubano medio poco más que lo que son: ruinas. Carecen tal vez de la impresión que provocan en los visitantes extranjeros, quienes casi siempre aparentan una mayor capacidad para entender el significado de estructuras que el tiempo ha dejado incompletas. Tal admiración obedece más a la confirmación de las escalas en una ruta conocida que a la sorpresa  por el descubrimiento en sí.

Caribbean design expert and historian Michael Connors leads the reader on an unprecedented tour in Havana of the stunning and architecturally important private homes and buildings that have been meticulously preserved, previously unphotographed, and mostly inaccessible to visitors. This lavish book represents the modern movement in Cuban architecture, from art nouveau and art deco to the flowering of high modernism just before the Revolution, spanning from the early 1900s to 1965. At a time when travelers are rediscovering Cuba, this volume offers a range of the city’s twentieth-century cultural achievements. The photographs, shot exclusively for the book, show examples from the artsy Vedado neighborhood, the seaside streets of Miramar, Central Havana, and Havana’s posh Country Club Park area. Included are iconic places such as Cuba’s remarkably futuristic National Schools of Art; the art deco landmark Bacardi building; Casa de Alfred von Schulthess by Richard Neutra; the stylish Habana Riviera Hotel, and its original 1957 interiors; the Hotel Nacional de Cuba designed by McKim, Mead & White, on Havana’s seaside drive the Malecón; and the world-famous Tropicana cabaret nightclub by architect Max Borges. Havana Modern is a pioneering book of modern design that shows a corner of the world where modern architecture thrived and has been carefully preserved.

Il contributo (IT/ING) fornisce alcune indicazioni sul progetto di cooperazione internazionale Italia-Cuba denominato ¡Que no baje el telón! Conservación, Gestión y Puesta en Valor del Patrimonio Cultural del Instituto Superior de Arte de La Habana (ISA): Capacitación y Monitoreo, che ha come fine principale quello di valorizzare il patrimonio materiale delle architetture dell’ISA e del territorio del Municipio de Playa. Il DIDA, Dipartimento di Architettura dell'Università di Firenze, è responsabile della Componente B (direttore, Saverio Mecca; codirettore, Alessandro Merlo) volta a fornire le experties necessarie a restaurare e consolidare la Facultad de Arte Teatral (FAT).

The contribution (IT / ING) provides some indications on the Italy-Cuba international cooperation project called ¡Que no baje el telón! Conservación, Gestión y Puesta en Valor del Patrimonio Cultural del Instituto Superior de Arte de La Habana (ISA): Capacitación y Monitoreo, whose main purpose is to enhance the material heritage of the architecture of the ISA and the territory of the Municipio de Playa. The DIDA, Department of Architecture of the University of Florence, is responsible for Component B (director, Saverio Mecca; co-director, Alessandro Merlo) aimed at providing the experties necessary to restore and consolidate the Facultad de Arte Teatral (FAT).

Havana, Cuba, is a time capsule of buildings known to mirror its rich history. With limited materials and resources, Cuban artisans are forced to use unique preservation methods to conserve a priceless legacy of historic architecture stretching five centuries. 1 For the past two summers, I have participated in an artist residency through Unpack Studio, Havana. My project, Havana: Behind the Façade, sought to understand the unique challenges of the Cuban people and how these challenges applied to architecture and preservation. This experience allowed me to live and travel among the Cuban people. The residency supplied an apartment and support staff who arranged interviews, site visits, and neighborhood ventures in areas of Havana not often visited by tourists. Much time was spent walking through neighborhoods alone, documenting the current state of architecture and the efforts to preserve it. The project was constantly pitched to anyone who would listen, which led to additional contacts and entrances to privately held buildings. Interviews on construction sites and inside the preservation trade schools were recorded for accurate translations.

Examines the larger Caribbean and Afro-Caribbean context in which these architectural styles developed. Does not support speculation that the shotgun and bohío share a common Yoruba antecedent. Also considers points of comparison between Cuban and New Orleanian preservation efforts in light of the U.S. economic embargo and Hurricane Katrina. Includes English translations of some sources that have only been available in Spanish.