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)

    
  • Palacio Cueto

    Palacio Cueto  LH 4

    Rising over the plaza off the southeast corner is Palacio Cueto. Built in 1906 with an elaborately adorned façade featuring griffins, satyrs and other mythical figures, it’s reminiscent of the moderni …

    Lonja del Comercio

    Lonja del Comercio  LH 4

    The Lonja del Comercio, which first opened on March 1909, is angled obliquely to the square on its northern side. It was built in eclectic-style by the architectural firm of Purdy and Henderson as a c …

    Seminario San Carlos y San Ambrosio (Real y Conciliar Colegio Seminario de San Carlos)

    Seminario San Carlos y San Ambrosio (Real y Conciliar Colegio Seminario de San Carlos)  LH 4

    In 1689, Bishop Diego Evelino de Compostela founded San Ambrosio, an unpretentious school for boys, located on Tejadillo Street and adjacent to the Jesuit church under construction at the time. When t …

    Convento y Capilla de la Inmaculada Concepción

    Convento y Capilla de la Inmaculada Concepción  LH 4

    This beautiful church and convent was built in Neo=\-Gothic style in 1874 and was a private girls’ school until 1961. The patio and chapel have beautiful wooden ceilings, notable stained-glass windows …

    El Floridita

    El Floridita  LH 5

    While the Floridita has its detractors, it is probably worth stopping in for a daiquiri just because it is there. It has certainly been around the block since it first opened its doors over 200 years …

    Plaza de la Revolución

    Plaza de la Revolución  LH 4

    The idea of building this square emerged in the 1940s, when an international contest was organized to erect a monument to honor José Martí, Cuba’s National Hero. In 1943 the project was finally approv …

    Teatro América

    Teatro América  LH 4

    The América Theatre is one of the most interesting architectural works in Havana. It first opened on March 29, 1941 and is part of a large building complex located on one of Central Havana’s main comm …

    Palacio del Conde Lombillo

    Palacio del Conde Lombillo  LH 4

    Located on the north-east corner of the Plaza de la Catedral, this mid18th-century building is unusual in having three façades: the main one on Empedrado and the other two facing Mercaderes and the sq …

    Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales

    Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales  LH 4

    Tucked into the northwest corner of the plaza, the relatively austere gallery occupies three levels of a partially restored 18th-century townhouse mansion. It holds temporary exhibitions of both renow …

    Plaza del Cristo

    Plaza del Cristo  LH 4

    The mid-17-century plaza takes its name from the Iglesia del Santo Cristo del Buen Viaje. It was first known as Plaza Nueva taking the name of what is now known as Plaza Vieja. For a while it was know …

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