The dismal state of buildings in Havana brought about by decades of neglect by the Castro dictatorship manifested itself for the third time in two weeks yesterday when another structure collapsed.
New Building Collapse in Central Havana
HAVANA, Cuba, January 31st, 2012 (Augusto Cesar San Martin, www.cubanet.org ) – Today, at about 10 am, portions of an apartment building located at Zanja 668 e/ Aramburu y Soledad in central Havana collapsed. As of this moment, no victims have been reported.
The structure, a large building possibly built in the 19th century or early 20th century and subdivided into approximately one hundred apartments, was declared unsafe quite a while ago. But as it commonly occurs with many Havana buildings, it continued to be occupied due to the significant lack of housing the country faces, particularly in Havana. What collapsed was one of the apartments, creating panic amongst neighbors, especially those in that section of the building. They ran into the street, many of them carrying furniture and personal belongings with them.
So much for the much vaunted Eusebio Leal Spengler, the City Historian, who is credited with saving Havana. Yea, right. A few buildings in the main plazas while Havana’s architectural patrimony, her history crumbles into dust.
Reminds me of the excellent film The Art of Making Ruins.
“Viewing this film will break your heart; shown are skeletal buildings that seem deserted ruins, it’s impossible to accept that human beings inhabit these structures.” –Ziva Sahl (https://babalublog.com/2007/10/arte-nuevo-de-hacer-ruinas/)
For sale here: http://bit.ly/xs4dx1
And I own a copy if someone just wants to borrow it.