Hotel Habana Riviera

CA3
General sightseeing
Architectural style: Modern
CA Ranking: 3
Avenida Paseo entre Malecón y 1ra
  • This hotel was opened in December, 1957, with a performance by Ginger Rogers at the Copa Room cabaret and was blessed by Cardinal Manuel Arteaga just a few days later. The construction is a fantastic example of modern architecture in Cuba and is in harmony with the heritage-rich area in which it is located. Some of the unique elements of this building include its blue and green tiled cupola from the old casino that used to stand here and the fact that acoustics were designed so that the sounds of chips and slot machines would propagate around the entire building to attract guests to the casino. Additionally, the building itself, with its Y shape, was designed so that all rooms have a view of the sea. And the sculpture La Sirena y el Pez (The Mermaid and the Fish) by Florencio Gelabert makes Hotel Riviera unmistakable.

    
  • Edificio del Retiro Odontológico

    Edificio del Retiro Odontológico  LH 3

    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 Fre …

    Calle San Lázaro

    Calle San Lázaro  LH 3

    Stretching 14 blocks, this street takes its name from the San Lázaro Hospital built in 1746. It was s=successively renamed as Calle Ancha del Norte, Calle del Basurero, Avenida Antonio Maceo and Aveni …

    Parroquia del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús (Parroquia del Vedado)

    Parroquia del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús (Parroquia del Vedado)  LH 3

    Built in 1892, this is Vedado’s oldest church; and is mostly known by its celebration of Corpus Christi in May, in addition to many other Catholic festivities. The wooden altar, pulpit and stained-gla …

    Museo del Chocolate

    Museo del Chocolate  LH 3

    Although calling this place a museum is an overstatement, there are some intriguing artefacts relating to the history of chocolate production in Cuba. More appropriate would be to call it Café Fábrica …

    Castillo de San Salvador de la Punta

    Castillo de San Salvador de la Punta  LH 3

    Given its strategic location on one side of the harbor mouth, this fortress was one of the two most important defensive constructions in Havana’s defense system in colonial times. Construction works t …

    Oratorio de San Felipe Neri

    Oratorio de San Felipe Neri  LH 3

    Originally a small church built in 1693, it was acquired two centuries later by a bank. The building was eventually returned to the city as a concert hall where lyric theater and song is performed. It …

    Hotel Saratoga

    Hotel Saratoga  LH 3

    The Saratoga Hotel – Reborn The oldest reference of what today is the elegant eclectic Saratoga Hotel dates back to 1879 when construction works for a three-story building began. The first floor was s …

    La Casa del Agua La Tinaja

    La Casa del Agua La Tinaja  LH 3

    The quaint cobbled section of Calle Obispo between Calles Oficios and Mercaderes is lined with the oldest buildings in Havana. The row of 17th-century townhouse mansions includes the tiny La Casa del …

    Cementerio Chino

    Cementerio Chino  LH 3

    Chinese immigrants were promised rivers of gold on their arrival in Cuba, but in reality they were confined to barracks in abject poverty, where conditions were brutal. Many of them thought of returni …

    Iglesia de Santa Rita de Casia

    Iglesia de Santa Rita de Casia  LH 3

    The succession of parabolic arcs made of reinforced concrete in contrast to the three stories of rectangular windows which alternate with the arcs create a sense of motion and modernity, accentuated b …

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