In 1953, architect Antonio Quintana won the competition for the design of a building which would house doctors’ offices, stores and other public spaces. The use of brise-soleil, popularized by the French architect Le Corbusier and readily assimilated by Cuban architects and from other countries in the Americas, especially, Brazil, given its practical applicability in tropical climates for both shading and ventilation purposes, is an outstanding feature of this building. The brise-soleil here also offers an aesthetically pleasing appearance, which some experts claim was influenced by the skyscraper project designed by Le Corbusier for Algiers. The vestibule features El dolor humano, a mural painting by the Cuban painter Mariano Rodríguez. Today, the building is home to the Faculty of Economics of the University of Havana, as well as the Talía Theatre and the L Art Gallery, the latter two on the ground floor. The building was awarded Gold Medal by the National School of Architects in 1956.
Art Nouveau
