Although it no longer preserves all the trees it once had, for many Havana residents Santa Catalina is still the avenue of royal poincianas.
This is how many treasure it in their memory and this is how those who pass through it daily continue to see it, even when a part of those royal poinciana trees are no longer there.
Others, however, remain. They persevere despite crises and storms and continue to beautify one of the most illustrious avenues of Havana with their floral crowns.
From Calzada de Jesús del Monte to Rancho Boyeros Avenue, or vice versa, Santa Catalina is a mostly residential street, with a more recent history than that of many arteries in other parts of the city, those whose origin dates back to the years from the colony.
Built-in the Republican period, the avenue connects the municipalities of 10 de Octubre and Cerro and passes through districts such as La Víbora, Mendoza, Palatino, and Casino Deportivo. It was and continues to be a mandatory transit route for many people moving through the city.
Street of beautiful mansions in its glory days — some better preserved than others — Santa Catalina has also had its shops and businesses, schools, and other institutions.
Among its best-known places — some no longer existing or converted into something else, and others still standing — are the old Alameda movie theater, the La Copa grocery store, the Ward ice cream parlor, the Franser pastry shop, and the Nuestra Señora de Lourdes School, converted into the Mariana Grajales School.
The San Juan Bosco church, with its steep bell tower; the Niagara cafeteria, famous in its time for the sandwiches prepared by Paco; the Finca de los Monos — Rosalía Abreu’s Quinta Las Delicias, now converted into a Technology Park; and the grounds and facilities of the Ciudad Deportiva are also part of Santa Catalina’s history.
These and other places on this well-known street are part of the daily lives of many Havana residents, and also a yearning for many others from a distance. Our invitation for this Sunday is a walk through Santa Calina, the former avenue of royal poinciana trees, through the lens of our photojournalist Otmaro Rodríguez.
