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.

    
  • Fototeca de Cuba

    Fototeca de Cuba  LH 4

      Inaugurated in 1986 to preserve, study and promote Cuba’s photographic heritage, Fototeca de Cuba, mid-way along the east side of the plaza, boasts the nation’s largest, most valuable collectio …

    Plaza del Cristo

    Plaza del Cristo  LH 4

    The mid-17-century plaza takes its name from the Iglesia del Santo Cristo del Buen Viaje. It was first known as Plaza Nueva taking the name of what is now known as Plaza Vieja. For a while it was know …

    Parque John Lennon

    Parque John Lennon  LH 4

    Occupying a whole block, the park delimited by 17, 15, 6 and 8 Streets had been unofficially known as John Lennon for years and had been a popular meeting place for young people and sometimes imprompt …

    La Bodeguita del Medio

    La Bodeguita del Medio  LH 4

    Back 1942, this well-known restaurant was a small grocery store. Its owner, Ángel Martínez, began to sell food as the number of customers increased. One day, journalist Leandro Garcia, a regular costu …

    Jardín Diana de Gales

    Jardín Diana de Gales  LH 4

    The distinctly non-communist fairytale crown atop a wrought-iron archway is something of a giveaway for one of Havana’s most delightful gardens, the Jardín Diana de Gales, inaugurated in 2000 in memor …

    Centro Cultural El Gran Palenque

    Centro Cultural El Gran Palenque  LH 4

    El Gran Palenque is home to the world-renowned dance troupe Conjunto Folklórico Nacional de Cuba. Opened in 1997, it has its origins in the Patio de la Rumba, founded in 1982 by folklorist Rogelio Mar …

    Acuario Nacional de Cuba

    Acuario Nacional de Cuba  LH 4

    This aquarium is a scientific center that specializes in research and environmental protection awareness and promotion, especially sea plant and animal life. The Acuario Nacional de Cuba opened on Jan …

    Calle Obispo

    Calle Obispo  LH 4

    This important street goes back to 1519, only four years after the founding of Havana. It was conceived as a narrow thoroughfare to protect the people from the sun. Throughout its existence, it has ha …

    Group of houses on Cárdenas Street

    Group of houses on Cárdenas Street  LH 4

    It is unusual in the city to find in such a short stretch so many interesting examples of Art Nouveau constructions. Only recently has the City Historian’s Office begun restoration works on some of th …

    Barrio Chino

    Barrio Chino  LH 4

    Located just a few meters away from El Capitolio, this is the largest and most important Chinatown in the New Continent. According to historian Julio Le Riverend, between 1847 and 1874, around 150,000 …

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