Havana Modern: Twentieth-Century Architecture and Interiors

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A revealing collection of astonishingly fresh and undiscovered midcentury architecture and interiors in Havana. Caribbean design expert and historian Michael Connors leads the reader on an unprecedented tour in Havana of the stunning and architecturally important private homes and buildings that have been meticulously preserved, previously unphotographed, and mostly inaccessible to visitors. This lavish book represents the modern movement in Cuban architecture, from art nouveau and art deco to the flowering of high modernism just before the Revolution, spanning from the early 1900s to 1965. At a time when travelers are rediscovering Cuba, this volume offers a range of the city’s twentieth-century cultural achievements. The photographs, shot exclusively for the book, show examples from the artsy Vedado neighborhood, the seaside streets of Miramar, Central Havana, and Havana’s posh Country Club Park area. Included are iconic places such as Cuba’s remarkably futuristic National Schools of Art; the art deco landmark Bacardi building; Casa de Alfred von Schulthess by Richard Neutra; the stylish Habana Riviera Hotel, and its original 1957 interiors; the Hotel Nacional de Cuba designed by McKim, Mead & White, on Havana’s seaside drive the Malecón; and the world-famous Tropicana cabaret nightclub by architect Max Borges. Havana Modern is a pioneering book of modern design that shows a corner of the world where modern architecture thrived and has been carefully preserved.