Restoration solution

A better photographer would have taken before and after pictures of the entire building, and I’ll see what I can do in the future. But here are two pictures taken at the site of the old Ministry of Education building in Old Havana, just behind the Palacio del los Capitanes Generales.

The old building occupied a full block, and it was an eyesore of 1950’s architecture surrounded by colonial-era buildings. It posed a big challenge for the restoration effort of the area, led by the city’s historian, Eusebio Leal. He and his team spent a long time considering whether to tear it down or rehabilitate it.

They opted for a solution where they gutted the building, preserved its skeleton, and rebuilt. And considering that the site is where the University of Havana was founded in 1728, the new building now houses the “Colegio Universitario San Geronimo de la Habana.” Here’s the entrance and the commemorative plaque. Someday I’ll dredge up some full before-and-after pictures.