Third in the series from my sister.
Originally posted February 13, 2012
Many of the buildings are built from coral stone. Old Havana is built around a system of Squares, the main ones, Plaza de Armas (below), Plaza de San Francisco, Plaza Vieja, and Plaza de le Catedral.
The architecture has a strong Moorish influence with wooden balconies, corner balconies, high ceilings and often a mezzanine floor built for the slaves; the owners would take the upper floors.
Most important feature was the courtyard which allowed for ventilation and light.
The streets were narrow and the buildings were tall which allowed the streets to stay shady all day. Many streets were created so that all the buildings on that street had a covered columned arcade which runs from house to house on both sides of the street so that pedestrians could walk down those streets in complete shade.
The street in front of the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales is made of ironwood (tree) bricks, rather than cobblestones so that the Governor General (can’t remember which one) wouldn’t be disturbed by the noise of the carriage wheels on the cobblestones during his afternoon siesta! Cuban presidents lived there until 1920.
The Art Deco influence…
Havana was spared the urbanization of the 1960s when other major urban areas underwent “urban renewal” and most of the older architecture was torn down. Havana’s beautiful architectural history is preserved in its urban center in a unique way.
Tagged: Architecture, cuba, Life, photography, Travel
