Patrimonio Arquitectónico digno de valorar: los Hoteles Habane-ros (1850-1958). Su evolución estilística y tipológica.

Abstract

Architectural heritage constitutes an essential part of historical memory, forming one of the most significant cultural heritage of a nation. The Caribbean, especially its islands, is internationally recognized for its tourism industry; However, the study of the hotel as an architectural entity has been relatively little studied. The City of Havana, capital of Cuba, has long been an epicenter of attraction for travelers, resulting in the construction of notable buildings intended to accommodate tourists. It is surprising that, despite this rich history, specialized literature offers few studies, documentation and evaluation of Havana hotel architecture. The purpose of this study is to highlight the architectural heritage value of the main hotels located in the City of Havana between 1850 and 1959. This will be carried out by creating an inventory that identifies the location, stylistic affiliation and typological of these buildings, allowing the categorization of historical periods based on their main architectural characteristics. This project is based on qualitative research that follows a historical-bibliographic and documentary approach; resulting in a catalog of detailed technical sheets of the Havana hotels belonging to the mentioned period, as well as a map of the city that will show the location of these constructions, differentiating the established historical periods. In addition, the stylistic and typological characteristics representative of each period will be identified. It is relevant to mention that this work is part of an ongoing doctoral thesis that seeks to examine the evolution of the hotel typology in Cuba and the Dominican Republic during the first half of the 20th century. This research is carried out in the context of the Doctorate program in Caribbean History, of the Center for Caribbean Studies of the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra.