1150

ana, Cuba

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The historic Hotel Packard has been an empty shell for decades. European hotel concerns have attempted redevelopment over the years, only to be frustrated by Cuban bureaucracy and regulations. The project has reportedly been revived by the Spanish company IberoStar. / Belmont Freeman

land at least 24 times and knows Havana well. He says that for as long as the Communist government is in power, it will be difficult, but not impossible, to work in Cuba. Lack of building materials and poor access to the Internet will also pose serious problems. But with Havana as the centerpiece, it will be worth the trouble. “It’s decrepit, but it’s unspoiled,” Freeman says. “It’s intact and will not be bulldozed.” President Barack Obama’s visit to Cuba in March signaled a thaw between the two countries – even if Obama was ha- rangued afterwards by former President Fidel Castro. Based on his expert assessment of Cuba, Freeman guesses that the embargo will be lifted next year, once Obama is no longer in office. Agricultural and business interests, as well as state and fed- eral officials, are pushing for an end to the policy, imple- mented in 1960. As many as 13 American airlines have ap- plied to provide direct flights to Havana from 20 U.S. gate- way cities, and major U.S. businesses already permitted to work in, or with Cuba, include Airbnb, Carnival, Caterpillar, General Electric, Verizon, and Western Union, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

While Freeman is optimistic the market will open up, even- tually, he is also cautious in his assessment of how rapid that process will be. If the embargo is struck down, the Commu- nist regime, and its dreaded central planning, would still re- main. Freeman notes that companies from Spain, France, Eng- land, and Canada have been in Cuba for years, and still have not been able to fully crack the code. The same might be true of American companies when and if the embargo is ever lift- ed. Also, there is no legal private practice of architecture in Cuba. All architects work for government agencies like the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Housing, or the Office of the Historian of the City of Havana. In effect, American firms wouldn’t be working with Cuban firms. Rather, they would be involved in joint ventures with the Cuban government. “It is a unique opportunity for a venue that has sat on the sidelines for 50 years while the rest of the world was being developed.”

See HAVANA, page 8

ER May 2, 2016, ISSUE 1150

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