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Havan
P R O F I L E
Aerial view of Havana with the harbor and Morro Castle in the distance. In the left foreground is the legendary 1930 Hotel Nacional and, on the right, the rooftop pool of the 1957 Hotel Capri, which recently reopened after a total renovation. Central Havana, which lies beyond, is in a state of ruin. / Belmont Freeman
In Havana, an opportunity When the U.S. embargo of Cuba is lifted, a dynamic A/E/P market will open up in one of the world’s great, and crumbling, cities.
By RICHARD MASSEY Managing Editor
restoration could easily last for 25 to 50 years, and all told, with engineering thrown into the mix, could cost billions of dollars to complete. “It’s decrepit, but it’s unspoiled. It’s intact and will not be bulldozed.” Resorts and retail, medical tourism and historic renovations, infrastructure and renewable energy. Cuba and Havana need it all, and when the process begins and as it unfolds, there will be important op- portunities for American architects and engineers. “It’s a big market,” says Belmont Freeman, princi- pal of New York-based Belmont Freeman Archi- tects . Of Cuban lineage, Freeman has traveled to the is-
I f the politics play out as expected, one day soon the U.S. embargo of Cuba will be lifted. When that time comes, American capital is expected to flood the island nation, which has been under revo- lutionary control since 1959. With a crumbling building stock, an antiquated in- frastructure, and a totalitarian bureaucracy, Cuba, as it stands, is not a modern country and cannot handle a major influx of people and businesses. But for all its shortcomings, Cuba has one of the best assets in the world – Havana. With its dense core of architecture spanning five centuries, Havana, even in decay, is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world. And at least one expert on Havana’s inventory says the
Belmont Freeman, Principal, Belmont Freeman Architects
THE ZWEIG LETTER May 2,
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