La California Apartamento wears a weathered yellow facade that stands out against the muted grays of Centro Habana. Constructed in the early twentieth century, this residential building features ornate, neoclassical balconies that once…
Centro Habana Living Ruins
This walk takes you through the atmospheric, crumbling streets of Centro Habana to see how grand historic architecture has been adapted for everyday community life. You'll get an authentic glimpse of local resilience far removed from the polished tourist districts.
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1. La California Apartamento
2. La Bodeguita de San Rafael
La Bodeguita de San Rafael sits on a corner in Centro Habana with a weathered, peeling facade and a heavy wooden door that seems to have held its ground for decades. While most visitors in the city head toward the famous Hemingway haunt in…
3. Teatro América
The Teatro America wears a facade of rounded, vertical limestone fins that cut deep, rhythmic shadows against the Havana sun. Built in nineteen forty-one, it serves as an example of the Art Deco movement in Cuba, blending grand theater…
4. Casa Sol y Salsa
Casa Sol y Salsa sits behind a weathered, bright blue door on a narrow street in Centro Habana. This building houses a family-run guest house that occupies a slice of a nineteenth-century colonial home. Inside, the original high ceilings…
5. Mercado San Rafael
The Mercado San Rafael occupies a distinctive triangular plot defined by the intersection of San Rafael and Galiano streets. Its glass-and-steel roof arches over a collection of small stalls where vendors sell everything from clothing to…
6. La Guarida
La Guarida occupies the top floor of a crumbling four-story mansion on Concordia Street. A grand marble staircase with a missing banister leads up to the faded elegance of the former living quarters. This building served as the primary set…
7. Edificio Solimar
The Edificio Solimar rises above the corner of Aramburu and San Lazaro streets, defined by its stark white, stepped silhouette that resembles a modernist ocean liner frozen in concrete. Built in nineteen forty-four, this apartment block…