Hotel Perla de Cuba, Havana

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Hotel Perla de Cuba
C. 1925 Hotel Perla De Cuba, Havana Greeting Card.jpg
Hotel Perla de Cuba.2.webp
General information
StatusPartially destroyed
TypeCommercial
Architectural styleNeo classical
Town or cityHavana
CountryCuba
Coordinates23°08′00″N 82°21′39″W / 23.133442°N 82.36095823°W / 23.133442; -82.36095823Coordinates: 23°08′00″N 82°21′39″W / 23.133442°N 82.36095823°W / 23.133442; -82.36095823
Technical details
Floor count5
Lifts/elevators1

The Hotel Perla de Cuba in Havana was the first commercial hotel in Cuba, it was situated on the corner of Dragones and Amistad in the municipality of Centro Habana.[1]

History[]

Hotel Perla de Cuba, Habana, Cuba

The hotel was built in 1835 and renovated in 1923 in the midst of the Cuban tourist boom.[a] A building of just 5 floors and a ground floor, with 40 rooms for 80 guests, less than a kilometer from the gates of O'Reilly and Obispo. The first of all those located in the Extramuros area, near the Paseo de Isabel II, the central artery that in some years would be surrounded by cafes, theaters and more hotels. Like all the small Havana hotels, the Hotel Perla de Cuba, without reaching a certain level of luxury, yet, had a lot of comforts. At the time of its expropriation, the lobby had telephone services in individual booths, armchairs for clients to rest, an elevator, mirrors, and armchairs in all landings on the floors. Today the Perla de Cuba is a ruin. Its last two floors and the back of the building have been uninhabitable for many years and vegetation has grown on them.[1]

Expropiation[]

Main article: Royal Palm Hotel (Havana)
Ley Revolucionaria Poster. Havana, Cuba. 1960

In the 1960s, like many other properties in Havana, the Hotel Perla de Cuba was confiscated and nationalized without any compensation. There is no exact reference to how and when, but the building gradually became family homes. The practice of expropriating hotels and converting them into multi-family buildings was one of the strategies of the revolutionary state to solve the housing problem in Havana.[citation needed]

Gallery[]

  • Hotel Perla de Cuba, Havana

  • Hotel Perla de Cuba, corner, Havana

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Today passers-by barely stop to look at the Hotel Perla de Cuba, since the only admirable thing is the miracle of still standing despite abandonment, however, it was once one of the most famous hotels in Havana. The Perla de Cuba, recommended by the most important travel guides despite the fact that it was never distinguished by luxury or architectural majesty, although it was distinguished by good service and a privileged geographic location.[2]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "aCuba". Retrieved 2022-01-23.
  2. ^ "Tres viejos hoteles y un largo olvido". Retrieved 2022-01-23.
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