Decorative Arts Hall in Santiago de Cuba
The Decorative Arts Hall, an extension of this city’s centenarian Emilio Bacardi Museum, is going to be an excellent present for the 500th anniversary of the foundation of the village, to be celebrated in July.
Click on Santiago de Cuba: A City of 500 Years
It stands in a privileged position, right in front of populous Carlos Manuel de Cespedes Park, the place where the village was established in 1515 and received the title of city years later.
Giving the eastern city this eclectic-style building back is not an easy task because of the deterioration of its structure as a result of the time and different activities that have taken place there, since it housed San Carlos Club, the Matrimony Palace and Miguel Matamoros municipal culture house.
The property is very valuable, as it was one of the first constructions made of reinforced concrete at the old square and its baroque-style main hall was the most important one in town, so the restoration work must be very careful.
Architect Luis Orlando Rodriguez, from the City Curator’s Office, explained that they have spent over a year changing beams and casting mezzanines, by using cutting-edge technology and material.
“Such procedure was crucial so as to cut flagstones because a compressor would make the building vibrate, thus damaging it”, he explained.
“Since 2008”, he said, “we’ve been working there in order to lighten the weight of the structure and stop the deterioration process, since the building’s third level was brought down by the earthquake in 1932.
As for the baroque style, the architect underlined that there is a significant number of decorative elements, including columns with Corinthian capitals and the walls are decked out with figurative elements that look like inlaid vegetation.
“The gorgeous false ceiling is spruced up with rosettes and shapes that suggest angel figures”, the experienced professional detailed.
“There is no other hall with such decorative technique in town and we could say that it’s nearly rococo”, he said.
Likewise, there are floral murals, the dais has been veneered with a polished style, French-style curtains, unique characteristics that are worth being preserved. As for the decorative plaster, each piece was painted with different floral motif.
Architecture National Award winner Omar Lopez, director of the above-mentioned Office, praised the extraordinary work that is being carried out at the Decorative Arts Hall by the students from Ugo Luisi Workshop School, supported by their professors.
The work with those plaster moldings is undoubtedly very complex, so it requires dedication and technic to give the hall its original beauty back and that’s the goal of the women and men that make their best to preserve the heritage of this square.
