Author Name: Carribean Channel, Cuba TV.
This story was originally published on canalcaribe.ict.cu. [1]

The most emblematic building in the city, The Capitol of Havana – Canal Caribe

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Date: 2022-01

The National Capitol of Havana is a building built in 1929 under the direction of architect Eugenio Raynieri Piedra, commissioned by the then Cuban president Gerardo Machado. The building would be destined to house and host the two houses of Congress or legislative body of the Republic of Cuba. Inspired by the Pantheon in Paris, San Pedro de Roma and the United States Capitol, the building features a neoclassical columnar facade and a dome that reaches 91.73 m high.

The Capitol of Havana is the kilometric origin of the Cuban road network

Located in the center of the capital of the country, between Prado, Dragones, Industria and San José streets, it is the kilometric origin of the Cuban road network, and after the triumph of the Revolution, when the Congress was dissolved, it was transformed into the headquarters of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment and the Academy of Sciences of Cuba. Since 2010, it has undergone a capital restoration process to restore its original functions and to become the seat of the Cuban parliament.

Open to the public, it is one of the most visited tourist centers in the city, having become one of the architectural icons of Havana, and is usually considered the most imposing building in the city.It is also named by some experts as one of the six most important palaces worldwide.A group of buildings that contributed to magnify an urban space The character of the urban center acquired by this enclave towards the end of the 19th century was reinforced by the construction of the National Capitol and the Presidential Palace, headquarters of the executive and executive powers, in the vicinity of that group, in the first decades of the 20th century.

A legislation of the republic, thus complementing its physiognomy with the presence of buildings of political use. The period between the beginning of the 20th century and the 1950s will constitute the most splendid moment of the place.A group of outstanding buildings were erected that contributed to magnify this urban space, also subject to a series of modifications over time that have turned it into a paradigmatic area of ​​architecture and urban planning.

The commercial activity developed remarkably in axes and streets of Old Havana and Havana Center, whose point of confluence and crossing was to constitute precisely this node or center of the city.The Capitol of Havana, characteristics. The construction occupied a total area of ​​43,418 m², of which 13,484 correspond to the property, with a surrounding area of ​​gardens and parks of 26,391 m². The rest, 3,543, were dedicated to the expansion of the streets and their surroundings. The property was built from a metal structure commissioned to the American company Pudrí & Henderson, which had previously executed numerous works of important buildings in the capital.

The total length of the construction was 207.44 m, and its architectural and volumetric composition was structured from a central body made up of the monumental staircase, almost 36 m wide by 28 m long and a total of 56 steps interrupted by three intermediate breaks. On both sides of the landing of the great staircase, two sculptural groups made in bronze by the Italian artist Angelo Zanelli, The People´s Tutor Quality and Work, each standing 6.50 m

Decorative elements and setting

The decorative elements and ambience of the Capitol spaces constitute an outstanding complement to the architectural solutions of the building. The component elements of the furniture, the lamps set, and the ironwork of the carpentry among others, have their own designs and with particular monograms for this building. The prestigious company Waring & Gilow Ltd., based in London and specialized in decoration and ornamentation both indoors and outdoors, was responsible for executing the overall ambience of the project, and is one of the highlights of its interior design.In particular, different companies were commissioned to design and develop elements, such as bronze fittings for The Yale & Towne Mfg. Stanford Co., Connecticut; the Societe Anonime Bague and the Saunier Frisquet in Paris were in charge of the lamparería; the Fratelli Remuzzi houses of Italy and Grasyma of Germany all the works in marble, basalt, porphyry, granite and onyx, and the works of blacksmithing and foundry, such as railings, railings, spiral stairs and garden lanterns were executed by the establishment Mr. Guabeca and Ucelay whose workshop was located in Luyanó.

Sculptural panels and bas-reliefs in stones and marble

In addition to this, the incorporation of a large number of artistic works consisting of carvings of sculptural panels and bas-reliefs in stones and marble that are incorporated in the facades of the building and in some interior spaces, made by notable national artists, among which are found Juan José Sicre, Alberto Sabas and Esteban Betancourt; and international, such as Drouker, Remuzzi, Casaubon, Fidele, Lozano and Struyf, among others.Something similar happens with the carvings of the great monumental doors that incorporate diverse sets and scenes, and with the stands, tables and tables with elaborate woodwork and carving works.

Also noteworthy is the presence of wall paintings and canvases that decorate many particular environments that include works by masters such as Leopoldo Romañach, Armando Menocal, Enrique García Cabrera and Manuel Vega among others. Upholstery, drapery, skylights and stained glass, sculptures, marble and bronze busts were part of all this decorative paraphernalia that corresponded with the taste and the moment in which the building was conceived.

The Diamond of the Capitol belonged to the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II The other ambitious project proposed, which exceeded the scope of Havana, was the construction of the national road network, whose kilometer zero would be symbolically marked by a brilliant 25-carat diamond placed under the dome of the Capitol. The diamond belonged to the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II, and had arrived in Havana at the hands of a Turkish jeweler who acquired it in Paris. Despite being protected by a solid carved crystal and considered unbreakable, the diamond was stolen on March 25, 1946 and recovered on June 2 of the following year. It was never known who stole it although popular rumors attributed the fact to a lieutenant of the special police of the Ministry of Education called Abelardo Fernández González.

(C) Cuba TV, Cuban state owned media.
[1] Url: https://www.canalcaribe.icrt.cu/en/the-most-emblematic-building-in-the-city-the-capitol-of-havana/

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