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)

    
  • 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 …

    H.Upmann Cigar Factory

    H.Upmann Cigar Factory  LH 3

    The H.Upmann cigar factory was relocated here a few years ago from Centro Habana. The brand, established in 1844 by German businessmen and brothers Herman and August Upmann, is one of the oldest in th …

    Casa de Masía L’Ampurdá

    Casa de Masía L’Ampurdá  LH 3

    Another modernist gem by Rotllant, who on this occasion proclaimed his Catalan ancestry. Like in Dámaso Gutiérrez’s home, the stylistic harmony between interiors and exteriors surprises pleasingly. Th …

    Museo de la Pintura Mural

    Museo de la Pintura Mural  LH 3

    The Museum of Mural Painting exhibits some beautifully restored original frescoes in one of the oldest surviving houses in the city, owned by Antón Recio, important figure of 16th-century Havana. Open …

    Hotel Florida

    Hotel Florida  LH 3

    The 1836 Hotel Florida is a beautifully restored colonial mansion with a splendid neoclassical frontage, with Corinthian columns, and an atmospheric central courtyard. The hotel’s 25 rooms, which have …

    Palacio de la Marquesa de Villalba

    Palacio de la Marquesa de Villalba  LH 3

    One of the most majestic buildings in Havana, it was partly built on the sight of the old wall that surrounded the city, and it is said that the stones of the wall were used in its construction. It wa …

    Museo Nacional de Historia Natural

    Museo Nacional de Historia Natural  LH 3

    Despite appearing to be of the colonial era, the building on the plaza’s southwest side dates from the early 20th-century, when it served as the U.S. Embassy in the years immediately following indepen …

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