EVERYONE WHO COMES TO HAVANA FOR THE FIRST TIME HAS NECESSARILY TO TAKE A PHOTO ON HIS FACADE. IT IS ONE OF THE MOST MONUMENTAL WORKS OF CUBA AND HAS BEEN COMPARED WITH THE ONE THAT EXISTS IN THE UNITED STATES. THIS BUILDING RECEIVES TODAY THE GREATEST RESTORATION OF ITS HISTORY
The people of the interior came to Havana and did not want to return to their land without visiting the Capitol. The one who could, was photographed with the Capitol in the background as a testimony of his stay in the capital. The foreigners who visited the island did the same thing. There was no lack there – there is no lack now – the street photographers with their antediluvian cameras.
Then the Paseo del Prado and the surroundings of the so-called Palacio de las Leyes were fashionable places. Havana is not conceived without Prado or Capitolio. They are symbols of the city. Because of its magnitude and beauty, the Capitol is the most important building in Havana and Cuba. It was the seat of the House of Representatives and the Senate of the Republic until 1958. When the impressive restoration to which it is submitted is completed, it will once again be the seat of the Cuban Parliament.
THE GREATEST RESTORATION OF HIS HISTORY
The previous restorations of the Capitol were made in 1956 and 1980. But nothing compares with what is seen today when passing in front of this enigmatic building. Such was their level of destruction, that the Office of the Historian of Havana decided to undertake the greatest restoration of its history.
The tasks include the dome, the carpentry, the eleven elevators, the waterproofing of roofs and metal structures, the revitalization and change of the pluvial, sanitary and electrical system.
The Capitol is a work that corresponds to the rating Degree of Protection 1 and with its restoration it is intended that the building works with the technology of the XXI century. Do not forget that here will be the headquarters of the Cuban Parliament, which will have digital television, microphonic system, cameras and more.
The courtyards and gardens, the sculptures, furniture and curtains of the Hall of the Lost Steps are intervened and the Chaplaincy stone is restored. Luckily, in changing some of the 58 types of marbles, the team managed to find the same factory that supplied the marbles in the 1920s.
Despite its governmental functions, the Capitol will continue to open its doors to the public in certain spaces such as the Hall of the Lost Steps and the library.
