Architectural Horrors / Rebeca Monzo

From some few years back, it has been unleashed on the city, I’m not sure if it has in the country, I don’t have the data, but I submit that it is expanding here like a epidemic, it may have arrived in other provinces: the taste for columns. To someone to whom it occurred to begin and copy them, mimicking those that were used a lot in the architecture of the 30s and 40s, and that in some cases, for certain more modern constructions of the colonial style were a big hit. Also it the same thing has happened with Spanish tile and Jaimanitas stone.

I am in total agreement with the aforementioned construction and styles of those ages, they look very nice, always and when they are placed appropriately. But what is unforgivable is that to be in style they use them in houses and facades of the 1950s, that are characterized by designs of clean straight lines and curves, but they have nothing to do with the famous columns, and in doing so they succeed in just destroying their architecture. There doesn’t seem to be anyone putting a stop to this. I don’t know why those famous community architects are silent about it, or those who have to authorize those remodeling projects, who permit a similar atrocity, uglifying the city that was characterized by its beautiful architecture more each time.

Here I have some bad examples:

A building from the 1950s, whose first floor and common areas of the yard have been closed and converted with the unusual columns and tiles that have nothing to do with the rest of the building, similar to the painting. The La Timba Neighborhood, Plaza. It was a beautiful apartment building before this capricious transformation.

Three story building, from the 1950s, whose first floor was remodeled as well, without taking into account the original architecture. Nuevo Vedado, Plaza.

I think that who is truly guilty are the authorities who are named precisely to guide and authorize or not, these changes to the outside of these buildings. Please, folks, let’s not continue uglifying our city or treating it like our enemy.

Translated by: BW

August 17 2011