CubaPLUS Magazine

Crowned with the beautiful hipped roof tower that makes it unmistakable and at the same time supports the emblematic bat that identifies the company, the Bacardí Building in the Cuban capital still maintains its bearing and architectural ancestry on Avenida de Bélgica 261, between Empedrado and Saint John of God streets.

Part of the Historic Center, its conception was entrusted to architects Rafael Fernández Ruenes, Esteban Rodríguez Castell and José Menéndez, by the rum company Bacardí S.A. Finished and ready for its inauguration in 1930, the work shone like a precious stone, an outstanding work of Art Deco, in the capital's old Las Murallas neighborhood, being then the tallest building in the city.

Even today, the state of conservation of the magnificent building is admirable, which has never ceased to function as a center for representative offices of entities, even after the triumph of the Revolution, when its former owners left and the laws began to apply in life and the economy. Currently, after a thorough renovation intervention carried out by the Office of the City Historian, it houses addresses of that organization that has carried out an important social work in favor of the conservation of the historical heritage of the capital.

With façades covered in natural granite, terracotta and pressed bricks, on the steel and concrete structure that supports it, the Bacardí shines in its staggering manor while gaining height with the central tower. Marble of a beautiful wine red color profusely decorates the main hall, alluding to the shades of honey from the creators of refined Cuban rum, on the upper floors appears the fantastic beauty of the stoneware rosette, bright yellow ceramic, representing white and gold rums.

Authoritative opinions maintain that both the upper floors and the beautiful tower stand out for the remarkable design of polychrome tiles alternating blue and brown stripes and decorated panels.

A remarkable effort has been made in the renovation and restoration to preserve the pageantry and magnificence of the decorations of the building in its splendor, for the cultural and patrimonial value within the history of the country. In the hands of the Office of the City Historian, it is in the best of condition, because it continues to fulfill its destiny of being beautiful and useful.