Out With the New, In With the Old: Architecture and Nation

Abstract

This article looks at Havana's architectural and urban peculiarities, focusing on those buildings that have defined its skyline from the beginning of the 1930s until now. They are also the buildings used in most of the city's promotional material, mainly in postcards and cinematographic productions, in order to function as signs of the city or its landmarks. The article analyses each case in relation to its political and cultural contexts, taking into account shifts in meanings brought about by political and social changes. It also addresses the divisions between the old colonial city and the new 'American city'. This division is put within the context of what was happening at the time in the whole of the American continent, including the United States, regarding the demolition of old cities and their replacement with buildings designed under the premises of the modern style in architecture. The 'romanticization' of the old city by Cuban intellectuals and the Cuban authorities, particularly after the 1959 Revolution, can be linked to similar tendencies in North America during the same period, expressed in the writings of North American authors, such as Lewis Mumford and Jane Jacobs, also discussed in this article. Overall, this article describes the role of Havana's architectural and urban peculiarities in the formation of Cuban national narratives, before and after the 1959 Revolution, with a re-reading of the concept of 'the Baroque' in the Latin American context as key to understanding these narratives.

This article looks at Havana's architectural and urban peculiarities, focusing on those buildings that have defined its skyline from the beginning of the 1930s until now. They are also the buildings used in most of the city's promotional material, mainly in postcards and cinematographic productions, in order to function as signs of the city or its landmarks. The article analyses each case in relation to its political and cultural contexts, taking into account shifts in meanings brought about by political and social changes. It also addresses the divisions between the old colonial city and the new 'American city'. This division is put within the context of what was happening at the time in the whole of the American continent, including the United States, regarding the demolition of old cities and their replacement with buildings designed under the premises of the modern style in architecture. The 'romanticization' of the old city by Cuban intellectuals and the Cuban authorities, particularly after the 1959 Revolution, can be linked to similar tendencies in North America during the same period, expressed in the writings of North American authors, such as Lewis Mumford and Jane Jacobs, also discussed in this article. Overall, this article describes the role of Havana's architectural and urban peculiarities in the formation of Cuban national narratives, before and after the 1959 Revolution, with a re-reading of the concept of 'the Baroque' in the Latin American context as key to understanding these narratives.

Este artículo examina las peculiaridades arquitectónicas y urbanísticas de La Habana, centrándose en los edificios que han definido su horizonte desde los principios de la década de los treinta hasta ahora. Estos edificios son también los que se han usado más comúnmente en el material de promoción turística de la ciudad, sobre todo postales y producciones cinematográficas, con la intención de funcionar como signos de la ciudad. Este artículo analiza cada caso en relación a su contexto cultural y político, tomando en cuenta las transformaciones de sus simbolismos, propiciadas por cambios político-sociales en la isla. Examina la división entre la antigua ciudad colonial y la nueva 'ciudad americana'. Esta división se analiza dentro del contexto general del continente americano, incluyendo a los Estados Unidos, y en relación con la demolición generalizada de los centros históricos de las ciudades durante los años cincuenta y su sustitución por edificios diseñados bajo los principios estilísticos del modernismo internacional en arquitectura. La 'romantización' de la ciudad antigua por los intelectuales y las autoridades cubanas, sobre todo después de la Revolución del 59, puede ser asociada con tendencias similares en Norteamérica durante el mismo período, y expresadas en los trabajos de autores norteamericanos, como Lewis Mumford y Jane Jacobs, incluidos en este artículo. En general, el artículo describe el rol de las peculiaridades arquitectónicas y urbanas de La Habana en la construcción de las narraciones nacionales cubanas, antes y después de la Revolución del 59, con una reinterpretación del concepto de barroco en Latinoamérica como clave para entender dichas narrativas.

Keywords:

• BAROQUE
• THE BAROQUE CITY
• THE AMERICAN CITY
• MODERN ARCHITECTURE
• SYNCRETISM
• ECLECTICISM
• MESTIZAJE