My Grandfather’s Havana
Author: Luis J. Echarte
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When I was 73 years old, I found out that my grandfather had been a famous architect. It happened in February 2017, during my first trip to Havana, Cuba, 57 years after I had left.
My grandfather's constructions arose through the years of greater change in the country, and they defined the landscape of the Cuban capital city. His good architecture is, even now, an emblem for the new generations of architects and lovers of Havana.
Some of the best-known buildings of Havana were built by my grandfather, Jorge Luis Echarte Mazorr.
Among the most famous ones is the house of the green tiles on the fifth avenue of Miramar, and today the Ministry of Energy and Mining in Central Havana.
The constructions built by my grandfather reveal a great diversity of shapes and rough weather. It could seem to anyone that they are not by the same architect, due to their great versatility and permanence over time, as well as their topics and architectural language.
My grandfather Echarte was, without any doubt, an exceptionally brilliant man. His diverse works cover a period of more than half a century, from 1916 to 1960, when he exiled himself to the United States in view of the triumph of Fidel Castro’s guerrilla in the Cuba of 1959.
In 1900 the Malecón was inaugurated, which was sort of an extension of the Paseo del Prado towards the shoreline. Nowadays, one of the most representative views of Havana is the one from the shore promenade towards the Paseo del Prado.
My grandfather taught me several lessons, but saving money was one with special emphasis. He used to tell me that we must always save enough money to live at least one and a half years at the same pace of life.
The expert opinion states that my grandfather’s constructions were far from the traditional solutions usually used in construction. Houses were conceived with new spaces and greater comfort.
Around 1915, in the Architecture magazine, one of the publications would be about my grandfather, who at age 26 had his first appearance because his house was pictured. This boosted his fame.
My grandfather also held public positions: he was Minister of Public Works, Chancellor of the Republic, and President of the College of Architects and Civil Engineers of Cuba.
Another one of my grandfather’s great challenges was building the Helicopter Terminal on the land of the former Santo Domingo Convent. This same building, after the Castros’ triumph in 1959, became the Ministry of Finance, and my grandfather participated in its renovation.