Edificio del Seguro Médico

CA2
General sightseeing
Architectural style: Modern
CA Ranking: 2
23 esquina a N
  • This is one of the most significant exponents of the trends in architecture in Havana of its time. According to architect Pedro Martínez Inclán, “Quintana can boast about having given Havana…two buildings (this one and the Retiro Odontológico) which talk and brilliantly stand out amidst the mute buildings that everywhere constitute the unavoidable majority.” Despite its pitiful state of repair, this beautiful building is still notable for the use of colour and terraces in the apartment block. It has parking space, shops, assembly hall, lecture hall, and 19 floors dedicated to apartments, three on each floor. The vestibule on 23rd Street boasts a mural made of tesserae and fragments of ceramics entitled Abstracción, by Wifredo Lam, while the lobby on N Street is adorned with Boomerang, a mural made of tesserae. The building was awarded First Prize at the Architecture Competition in 1954 and Gold Medal by the National School of Architects in 1959.

    
  • Plaza de San Francisco

    Plaza de San Francisco  LH 5+

    Right across Havana harbor, Plaza de San Francisco is one of the first three built in the 16th century. It takes its name from the Franciscan convent built there. The plaza became the site of a market …

    Plaza de la Catedral

    Plaza de la Catedral  LH 5+

    The last of the main squares to be created, this is one of Old Havana’s most beautiful spots. Originally, it was named Plaza de la Ciénaga (Swamp Square) because of its muddy terrain, but by the 18th …

    Hotel Nacional de Cuba

    Hotel Nacional de Cuba  LH 5+

    In response to the increasing influx of American tourists in the late 20s (mainly those who were escaping Prohibition, in force in the United States at the time), the construction of a luxury hotel wa …

    The Malecón

    The Malecón  LH 5+

    The Malecón, first named Avenida del Golfo, is Cuba’s most famous sea-side avenue. The project was undertaken by Don Francisco de Albear, Cuba’s greatest engineer at the time. Albear came up with a co …

    Iglesia de Jesús de Miramar

    Iglesia de Jesús de Miramar  LH 5

    Opened in 1953, this is Cuba’s second largest church, which is visible for several blocks due to its vast dome built in Roman-Byzantine style. The Jesús de Miramar church boasts 14 large mural paintin …

    Catedral de La Habana

    Catedral de La Habana  LH 5+

    The entry of the Jesuits in Cuba was formally requested in 1656, and in 1727, a plot was granted for their school and church. Bishop Brother Gerónimo Valdés explained to the King of Spain that Havana’ …

    Museo de la Ciudad (Palacio de los Capitanes Generales)

    Museo de la Ciudad (Palacio de los Capitanes Generales)  LH 5

    History & architecture Considered the most important example of baroque architecture in the city, this grand building on the west side of the plaza was built in 1792, on the sight of the former pa …

    Iglesia de San Francisco de Paula

    Iglesia de San Francisco de Paula  LH 5

    In 1664 the Presbyter of the Cathedral of Havana, don Nicolás Estévez Borges, ordered the construction of a chapel devoted to Saint Francis of Paola (founder of the Roman Catholic Order of the Minims) …

    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. …

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