294 ARCHITECTURE, CULTURE. AND THE CHALLENGES OF GLOBALIZATION

Western Havana

MARIA VICTORIA ZARDOYA LOUREDA lnstituto Superior Politecnico Jose Antonio Echevarria

1111011 studying a ~TI;I~Iof we+tern llaval~a that >llo\\> th~ j~r\taposi~~gr~eti\orkr wit11 ditlwent orierrtatiorlh a1111 (liwe~l- sions. it is t.\idc-rlt that url~anizationof the territory 01-c.urrecl

prrferrctl I)! the wealtlly, wl~twasthe olde~tareah lovated to die> couth. \wre occupied by peopl~. wit11 kwrr rcwnrrc.ea. Thi5 polarity tlifl;wrltiat~d1111- tylles ol' urlxrrlizatiun and arcllitcctur- al trait* that distirlguish the tvrritory.

roun?. For -ucll purpow. -I~eciidist.iof thr- L 5 arm) sel(*cted near L3 P1111ti1la.lThe area was crossed 11y srver~lirrcyllnr an estcwsi\v area to ~III. rlorth ol' ()uemados clc \lariarlao that roatls arrtl. aftcar 1803. 1)) the lirle5 oi't11v railroad that allo\rcd a rapici I~~III~I*~~LII~\\it11 CIIII&I. 'Fi~liphi. (h-11. (:i611:1ga, I'uerltcs I;ranclc*. la Cviba. I3ue11a \'i>t,l. Jr-11.. \laria. and 1.0s Qut~~r~arlc~s.~'I'l~e Ilrban Iiailroatl, i~~auprratcvlill 1850. tlitl riot ha\(. a routr to hldriarlao. llut tl~rGtweral hsC~III~III) ol' Havatla did hate a regdar itilwraq to 11w area. 2002 ACSA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE HAVANA, CUBA JUNE 21-24, 2002 295

The lirst route of the -trvchtc.ar h~ruse by tlw p.ople of \lariar~aool)er~rcl ill bve~dwrof 1903. and lir~ketlhlarinnao \\it11 El \'cd;~do. The routr was I~uiltalong ,n\-llat is to~lay31st 296 ARCHITECTURE, CULTURE, AND THE CHALLENGES OF GLOBALIZATION

Alicv r11~el111 ol't111. !hwr~tl\\crrltl 'A;,,, ;IIIIII~IC~IIIIOIII ~II1111. 111rm11ertrl' allotrr~ents took 11l~ccin t111- capital. Thc- rapid atloption of the auto~~~ol~dea3 a rnvall. of transportation farilitated tlw ~I~\I.~II~IIII~IIof IIIW url~;~r~izations ir~peripl~~ml areas. Hclll'l'k~r~h.tl~ r~eigl~l)orlo~l .\Itwas tle la Salle. Alturas (Ic IIc&. ;Uturas del Ihqur. Sa~itaFelich. \autico. a1111Altur:r> tlc Rlaria~~ao.ainollg ntlirr.. arose ill Rlnrianao in IIIP late 10~10's.Thrw ne\\ rrrl~ar~izatio~~.lilled arms Iwt\rcw~

.:Utrr t11e political &is of' 1033. the arcw's no st ~~oteworll~y

iilso 1111ilt OII I:r~~dsIw11111ging to Camp Columbia wcw 1111: Institutr for Swonday Instruction. the Xlaternidad Ol)ror;~ Ilosl~ital,the Xlarianao I'olice Il~wiquartws. ard th11 lligl~ Court of' \L'ar. Cro~~pIJI' IIO~IS~II~ u~~its ror ~~iilitaryofficws, ac~'or11i11g10 tlwir rar~k. were also built along the Calzada tit: Colu~~rl~ia.~''l'l~e cw~~~tr~~ctior~of tliesc: I~~riltling~took plarct co~~c,~~rre~~tlywit11 the rc:niodeli~~gof t111: wea's strcLets. ~III! Calzatla de Columbia. in particular.

I'lic IIIW itltrr~tilicatio~~system r~wlvedtlic* existing chaotir situation Ily requiring ill all vases the: use of c!vw or cdtl 2002 ACSA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE HAVANA, CUBA JUNE 21-24, 2002 297

r , I he area west ol' the Niner~darc.s river took sl~apc~tlrrough successi\.e atltli~io~~rof new ~ici~l~l~orhoods,witlloul a plan that rep~latedan11 crrdered its gro\vtl~.The most i~r~l~ortantroarla crossing tl~t:aroa acquired tl~cirin~portancr acc~itlcr~tally rather than I)? tlcsign. These rowls art. todays 31stl l~lst,ant1 51st -4ven11t.s.Fift! list A\.enue evolvc:d from the primitivt: road that linked the city of Havana with \'uelta Altajo, and was Iatrwn in the 19th cer~turyas tlrc: Calzada de hlariar~ao.The path traced The economic cl~ar~gvst11at tool\ place in tlie c-o~~r~tr!ill the torlay by 3 1 st ~\W:IIIIPwas est&lisl~ed in 1903. by the first line earl! 1990s peatl! ir~llucwcvdtlw utilization and cleveloprrwnt of the tram tliat linked klarianao with 111 \!c:~lado. Today's 4,lst of the area. esl~eciallyhliramar dirtl other parts ol toda!'i I'laya -4venuc: c:orireived in 1002 as a road to c:on~lectEl \."eclado municipalit). '~'III. old rc4tlrlw=s were again rel~lrbialrcvi to wi1.11Canrlt Colu~ibia.hence it..: original name of Calzacla dr l~econle oftices of lorrig~r cw~~ipanie~now allowed to do C;olurr~bia.The importance of tl~eseaverllws increased over the business in the countq. or in -(or(+ \~IICTP good. were sold for yt:ars. and successive moclitications wtrc carried out in tune hard currency, among n~an! otl~erI'urrc.tion~ ste~nnhg from the with the I~ierarchyhey ittained. l'he 5th .-\vcnut~oi' hliramar is r~twl! introrl~~c~edeconomic measures. one of the lor~gc*stand rnctst in~portantroads trav~rsir~gthe area. It was defi~ietlin 191 I. w11c:rr \liramar was being parrelltd ar~cl. Increased in~estnieritill the touriht iridu*tr!. both h~reignand udilie those nirwtior~cdal)ovc. war meant to be a 11iair1 strect national. heled the col~structionof l~otelzncw t11c roast. The that fro111 its inceptior~ rc:c:t.i\d the urhanistic treatmerlt once solitary Trith Hotel. built ir~the lalv 19705. is no\\ belitting this rolc. 14.- 11rlta11develop~nent spread west alor~gtl~r: surrounded by several neu facili(ies. .orrtc alrc.ad\ co~nl~leted coast. 311 A\WIIIIVrrtainerl its character as the I~acl&or~eof t111: and others still in various stage$ of' e\ccwtiort. Tlrc, new hotel> new nrbar~ixatiorrsios ad cmutinued to allo\,- rapid vd~iwlar show a very dilerse ~~rofilein ttw113 (11 t!l)olog> addesign access to tl~r.arca. level.

AFTER 19.59 THE FI-TURE

Rliir~yopl~ortur~ities ard challt~r~gosawait tl~cI-1a\m1a of the \\IPSI in the r~ewc:rrltur?;. The filturc. is k~rowrfor its altility to es(qJc, tl~ccontrol ot' tl~eIIWI planwrs. ard its ir~scm~tal~ilit!.is legendary. It is a crucial tali ofto(la\."s I~i,toriar~sard cdtrcators to instiU ill the neny peneratims of url~ar~plartners ard architects tht. ~IIV~~PIIIYSof the area's I~iston'and the req~ectl'nr 298 ARCHITECTURE, CULTURE, AND THE CHALLENGES OF GLOBAUZATlON

'Ir~clin 13i~vustidaFI-~II:~II~I~. Ili>turia (Iehli~rianao. Pub1ist11-r El 5111, la Ilabatla. 1032.

' \Ian II~ B'II~II.~. l'r11pie11~11II~ de 1Jii11, I'ngnlntti y 11. I.. hrrIl1r1-t. ,\Id IO~U. ' \lap or 1iqrxt11IIV I~III.IP~SII Aim-r~tlarvs. '-La \Idina- y '-Ida hlrlPn11vr". Kiran~rr1114 C~I~I~Ij l)ier-. lq03.

I' ILI) S~:vill;~I-II~~, "I'II~IIII~ la Irtrrri;~da ol~rtmd4, l'a~golutti 1'111. 1111 frar;~wT. .-I~~U~II~II~~I,~JII. 10.1 1. lug. :HI-35 ' \Id11 IIC Firwa HIII.II Ilrtim. Pr~~pi~ttaric~I.II~~II Hetar~roun ) !\. (il~arga. 1hyvr11111e Iicpart~~.St-p. 101 I. \lap III' Ilq~artahlirawar. \'tdadn NII~VII, 1018. " "1.a.- cori~li~.ionale:1lc4 rrpartn Xlimrnar > :Utura 111. \lirarnar-. .-lrquirer~crrrrti, I..I H~I~IIIII:~, rriai. 1015, pap 102. I" \1;1p ,If l:clllrltry f:111I1 f'atlr. I~~UCII.1910 It lnrlin la\d&la ILn~ando. Ilihtoria dv \lariman. Publislwr El 501, la Ila hana. 1032. I? hlap IIIIlospitol hliltor y trrrmos haita calle Sa111a Rosa, I1J13.

I' Virgo JII& Antonio. '-1 )bras cl~mejoramicnto urbani4w-. .4rquirrrrurcr. wp. 1'143, pup. 361.

I,' h~ap111 I{qmrtu YJIIII Just13 Mm+in7.. (:a=a: para sargrn~w. IOXL " lnclin I~vartidaI:t*mando. Ili.toria ,I*.ilariana~~. t'uhli+.ller El %I, In llaba~~a,10.52.

I" hlqs 01' ~'~II~~CIII 11,. ~I*~IIII~~~II~~C~~II11,. la a\cnitIa 4 IICsqiti~!n~I~rr (Calmdi~ ~lrColu~r~bia) 1les111. ;\\wtida IIC13 \'ivtoria al l'uente :\slrt+rt. f'lano ~lc I'royertn ~lerec.onztnrc.cih 111- la avenitb 4 (11. wptiernl~rr(Calzad,~ tlz Cduml)i:~) ~lrdrrallr I4 11ar1u +\ver~idaale la \'irtoria.