The Notary at 23rd and J, Havana / Rebeca Monzo

1408719803_image009After spending several days trying to remedy errors committed by various officials in the course of officially registering my apartment, as required by the new housing law, I then had to wander between countless locations and offices, not only because of the fragmentation of the main office (a huge, underutilized old house) but to others as well due to misinformation provided to public who access them.

Finalizing the process requires a visit to the notary office in order to legalize all the documents. I went to the best, most famous, most central location: the office at 23rd Street and J Avenue in Vedado, an office through which nearly all Cubans have passed. It is here that marriages, divorces, wills and testaments, powers-of-attorney — in short, all manner of legal proceedings — are handled.

It has been located here for more than five decades in a beautiful building from the 1950s, which even today serves as a study reference for students pursuing a career in architecture.

The photos below are the most recent images of what was once a beautiful office and residential complex.

There are comfortable seats where you are forced to wait for hours. Fortunately, I was helped by two wonderful professionals and a very pleasant and efficient receptionist.

22 August 2014

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