Manzana de Gómez

CA4
General sightseeing
Architectural style: Eclectic
CA Ranking: 4
Admission: n-a
Limited by Neptuno, Monserrate, Obispo and Zulueta Streets, Habana Vieja
  • Owned by Julián de Zulueta, construction work began in 1890 according to the project designed by architect Pedro Tomé Veracruisse; however, still unfinished, it was sold to Andrés Gómez Mena, who completed the first floor. Four other floors were subsequently added from 1916 to 1918, all of which were designed around a central courtyard, which ensured natural lighting and ventilation. The ground floor, which was surrounded by wide galleries with inner passageways that met in a rotunda, was set aside for shops, while the upper floors housed business offices, law firms, notary’s offices and other. It held over 500 departments and it was estimated that a floating population of 25,000 people would visit the place every day.

    (under restoration)

    
  • Fuente de los Leones

    Fuente de los Leones  LH 3

    Designed in 1836 by Italian artist Giuseppe Gaggini, the Carrara marble Fuente del Conde de Villanueva is popularly known as “Fuente de los Leones” for its four lions, one to each corner, resting on p …

    Hotel Saratoga

    Hotel Saratoga  LH 3

    The Saratoga Hotel – Reborn The oldest reference of what today is the elegant eclectic Saratoga Hotel dates back to 1879 when construction works for a three-story building began. The first floor was s …

    Museo del Chocolate

    Museo del Chocolate  LH 3

    Although calling this place a museum is an overstatement, there are some intriguing artefacts relating to the history of chocolate production in Cuba. More appropriate would be to call it Café Fábrica …

    Cementerio Chino

    Cementerio Chino  LH 3

    Chinese immigrants were promised rivers of gold on their arrival in Cuba, but in reality they were confined to barracks in abject poverty, where conditions were brutal. Many of them thought of returni …

    Iglesia de Santa Rita de Casia

    Iglesia de Santa Rita de Casia  LH 3

    The succession of parabolic arcs made of reinforced concrete in contrast to the three stories of rectangular windows which alternate with the arcs create a sense of motion and modernity, accentuated b …

    Plaza Carlos III

    Plaza Carlos III  LH 3

    This is a four-story commercial center that includes shops, fast food outlets, a bank, food market, etc, which after wide-ranging remodeling and restoration, first opened in October 1997. At the time, …

    Oratorio de San Felipe Neri

    Oratorio de San Felipe Neri  LH 3

    Originally a small church built in 1693, it was acquired two centuries later by a bank. The building was eventually returned to the city as a concert hall where lyric theater and song is performed. It …

    Casa de Carmen Montilla

    Casa de Carmen Montilla  LH 3

    This charming art gallery was established in 1994 by the late Venezuelan artist Carmen Montilla (1944-2004) with the support of the Office of the Historian of Havana. It is housed in 18th-century buil …

    La Casa del Agua La Tinaja

    La Casa del Agua La Tinaja  LH 3

    The quaint cobbled section of Calle Obispo between Calles Oficios and Mercaderes is lined with the oldest buildings in Havana. The row of 17th-century townhouse mansions includes the tiny La Casa del …

    Monumento a Máximo Gómez

    Monumento a Máximo Gómez  LH 3

    Inaugurated in the mid-1930s, this magnificent monument pays homage to Dominican-born General Máximo Gómez, who became Commander in Chief of Cuba’s Liberation Army during the Wars of Independence. The …

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