Banco de La Habana

CA2
General sightseeing
Architectural style: Eclectic
CA Ranking: 2
Admission: Free
Cuba e/ Obispo y Obrapía, Habana Vieja
  • This 1915 two-story building was made of reinforced concrete. Its façade was composed of elements of the Ionic order and stood out because of its semicircular portico and its beautiful wooden door, which was protected by a solid wrought-iron gate. The façade’s six large columns with imposing pedestals gave the building a monumental character, very much in keeping with its role. With the Cuban banking collapse, the institution, which from the start was under the control of the National City Bank of New York, was compelled to enlarge the building due to an increase in operations, and in 1922, the third floor was added. Today, it is an office building for the national Insurance Company.

    
  • Fundación Havana Club

    Fundación Havana Club  LH 4

    One block southeast of Plaza de San Francisco, on Avenida del Puerto, stands the ochre-colored former mansion of the Conde de la Montera. Beyond its ornate doorway is a promotional center—the Museo de …

    Factoría Habana

    Factoría Habana  LH 4

    Factoría Habana is an experimental center for present-day artistic creation. The institution, which is ascribed to the City Historian’s Office, seeks to become a bridge between Latin American and Euro …

    Sala Polivalente Kid Chocolate

    Sala Polivalente Kid Chocolate  LH 4

    This is one of the 67 facilities especially built for the Havana 1991 Pan-American Games. It was named after Eligio Sardiñas, also known as Kid Chocolate, Cuba’s finest amateur boxer ever. The sports …

    Convento e Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús e Ignacio de Loyola

    Convento e Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús e Ignacio de Loyola  LH 4

    Known by many as Iglesia de Reina, Cuba’s tallest and perhaps most beautiful church rises in the midst of the urban landscape as one of the most accomplished religious constructions in Cuba in terms o …

    La Conversación Statue

    La Conversación Statue  LH 4

    The beautiful contemporary bronze sculpture titled ‘La Conversación’ looks out over Plaza San Francisco de Asís from atop a marble plinth in front of the entrance to the Lonja del Comercio. Made by Fr …

    Club Habana

    Club Habana  LH 4

    Originally called Havana Biltmore Yacht & Country Club, the establishment gained notoriety when it denied entry to Cuban president Fulgencio Batista on the grounds that he was ‘black’ (in fact, Ba …

    El Caballero de París

    El Caballero de París  LH 4

    Dozens of passers-by on Oficios are drawn every day to the life-size bronze statue of this humbly dressed man that stands outside the entrance to the basilica. Approach it and you will see that his lo …

    Galería Victor Manuel

    Galería Victor Manuel  LH 4

    This gallery offers a nice selection of mainstream decorative modern paintings, some of which could be considered true works of art. Given its location and popularity, high pric es are to be expected. …

    Casa del Conde de Casa Lombillo

    Casa del Conde de Casa Lombillo  LH 4

    A beautiful façade with a huge arched portal, a loggia supported by thick columns on pedestals, and beautiful mediopunto stained-glass windows above define this two-story 18th-century building on Plaz …

    Iglesia del Espíritu Santo

    Iglesia del Espíritu Santo  LH 4

    Although considered by many the oldest church in Havana, a research by historian Pedro A. Herrera has proved otherwise. The original building, which was built as a hermitage in 1638 for freed slaves a …

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