The Ninth Workshop on Built and Natural Heritage, which was held on April 16-17 at the José Martí Cultural Society, has defined the work strategies to reverse the deterioration of buildings in Havana.
The workshop was aimed to stimulate protection and rescue of heritage built as value that retains the historical memory of the country. The exchange of practical experiences on the implementation of cultural projects, community service and environmental education allowed a characterization of the condition or the neglect of monuments, buildings and works of art in the province.
“Heritage at Risk” was the title of the presentation of the architect Kenya Santos Diaz proposing a necessary reflection: “The subject is so delicate that it would be a mistake that we witness reality without feeling anguish, or taking enough care. The city of Havana is the on in the Americas that preserve much evidence of times. That makes us heirs of property still preserved, but not in the best condition. If we risk losing them, we would be risking losing our historical memory. ”
Among the examples of the monuments she cited in bad structural situation are: the Aldama Palace, located in Amistad no. 510, in Old Havana , one of the finest examples of Cuban neoclassical architecture and one of the scenes of the events of 1869 during the Ten Years War, the Aldama and Monte family residence, and home to famous gatherings during the nineteenth century ; the Zuazo Palace , located at Compostela no. 651-657 , also known as Palace of the Marquises of Almendares , an important building from the late eighteenth century that shows the traffic of the Manor House toward the palatial typology of mid-nineteenth century ; or the O’Farrill family home , located in Cuba no. 102 corner to Cuarteles, one of the few places surviving places of domestic typology of the eighteenth century in Havana that retains many of its original heritage values.
This list was almost endless, with over ninety real estate properties that need investment for restoration. The researcher explained that they had registered these properties and had delivered them to each of the chairmen of the county governments to have understanding of their responsibility.
New roads materialize part of the budget for the conservation and restoration of buildings: “In an exchange with the Ministry of Economy the officials showed the motivation to reverse the situation to some extent. Among the agreements was reviewing plans for the economy next year’s budget to include entities responsible for these real estate “the architect said.
She ended by calling attention to the need for general awareness: “It is the city that is having this huge impairment without sufficient attention. We don’t need to wait for the general destruction to discuss investment plans and to be aware of in whose hands the responsibility is to protect it. ”
By: Dunia Torres
Photo: OHC
