Edificio FOCSA

CA4
General sightseeing
Architectural style: Modern
CA Ranking: 4
17 entre M and N
  • Considered one of the seven wonders of Cuban civil engineering, when built, the Focsa building was among the largest reinforced concrete structures in the world. Construction works took 28 months, and their completion in 1956 marked the beginning of the tall-building era in Havana. At a time when concrete buildings with more than 18 floors were simply not practical from a financial viewpoint, this construction, with its 28 floors, was the second tallest concrete building in the world. With beauty parlors, shops, swimming pool and many other facilities, the idea was to create a city within the city, so that tenants would have no need to leave the complex.

    All of Focsa’s 373 apartments (among them seven penthouse and two duplex) have great views of the sea and were sold for between 17,500 and 21,500 pesos; and despite that 30 more pesos were charged for every floor up, the apartments on the top floors were sold first. Additionally, being such a tall building for the standards of that time, medical experts were consulted on the effects that the building’s oscillation and vibrations could have had on the tenants.

    Providing electricity was quite a challenge too, taking into consideration that all of the apartments were equipped with electric cookers and heaters. Engineers implemented then a distribution system with transformers every three floors, which is still in place with only a few modifications made to it, although the load in much greater today.

    In the years following the triumph of the 1959 Revolution, the Focsa building was used to accommodate Russian officials and students. Having reached an appalling state of decay, all of the apartments, the restaurant-bar (formerly the exclusive Club La Torre, for wealthy owners of large companies.) and exterior were renovated and repainted.

    
  • El Templete

    El Templete  LH 3

    Built in 1827, El Templete commemorates the first mass and town council held in the city, at the foot of a ceiba tree that grew on the northeast corner of what would soon evolve as the Plaza de Armas. …

    Museo del Tabaco

    Museo del Tabaco  LH 3

    Housed in an 18th-century mansion that once belonged to merchant Don Bartolomé Luque, this modest museum displays lithographic prints, old pipes and lighters, early cigar boxes and ashtrays, furniture …

    Fundación Alejo Carpentier (Casa de la Conde de la Reunión)

    Fundación Alejo Carpentier (Casa de la Conde de la Reunión)  LH 3

    On Empedrado Street, between Cuba and San Ignacio, a few doors from the famous Bodeguita del Medio, stands this building which belonged to Don Santiago de la Cuesta, Conde de la Reunión. Its style is …

    Hotel Habana Riviera

    Hotel Habana Riviera  LH 3

    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 …

    Museo Palacio de Gobierno – Cámara de Representantes

    Museo Palacio de Gobierno – Cámara de Representantes  LH 3

    Immediately south of the Convento de San Francisco de Asís, the squat yet imposing neo-classical building raised atop stairs served as the original Cámara de Representantes—the Republican House of Rep …

    Calle 23

    Calle 23  LH 3

    Calle 23, or 23rd Steet, is a central, busy street in El Vedado district. It begins at the sea and ends in a river, the Almendares. Its first five streets, from Malecón to L Street are known as La Ram …

    Casa del Capitán Gaspar Rivero de Vasconcelos

    Casa del Capitán Gaspar Rivero de Vasconcelos  LH 3

    On the corner of Obrapía and San Ignacio Streets, one block west of Mercaderes, stands one of the oldest and best preserved homes in Havana, and despite its relatively simplicity, one of its most stri …

    Museo de Arqueología (Casa de Juana Carvajal)

    Museo de Arqueología (Casa de Juana Carvajal)  LH 3

    Housed in the Casa de Juana Carvajal, this museum is the result of archaeological studies in the Historic Center and the preservation efforts made by the City Historian’s Office. Inside is a fascinati …

    Convento e Iglesia del Carmen

    Convento e Iglesia del Carmen  LH 3

    In 1923, members of the order of the Carmelites purchased a lot on the corner of Avenida del Presidente Menocal and Neptuno, where first they created a provisional chapel and later erected the majesti …

    Coche Mambí

    Coche Mambí  LH 3

    Outside the Museo Palacio de Gobierno sits a railway carriage, still on rails at the corner of Callejón Churruca. It originally belonged to the Cuban Railroad Company and beginning in 1902 was used by …

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