What is and what should not be......

[El Presidente]

[laficion]

Great post José but also very sad.

For me, just as sad as Sloppy Joe's Bar and a lot of other buildings.

[Nino]

Jose,

what it is is simple ; a state sanctioned rape and theft of cultural identity due to - my hunch - the state reading signs on the walls and wanting to secure their share of the beef before others come in & cut existing heritage to the bone, happened elsewhere where so-called "socialist egalitarism" turned into raw capitalist Darwinism - from the Hutongs in Beijing to Moscow & St Petersburg to East Berlin.

What I hope and recommend is : keep your sanity, stay by the river, do some fishing and next year take a long trip to recharge batteries.

Sharing your feelings ... of impotence.

[Puros Y Vino]

It appears that Cuba suffers from the same thinking in "Capitalist" countries. The old is discarded for the new. In Toronto buildings sitting on very valueable property and protected by heritage laws either burn down mysteriously or get clearance from city council for demolition. As for this building, you'd think that a country famed for its' cigars would do more to keep these landmarks relevant to what they were.

[Murri]

It appears that Cuba suffers from the same thinking in "Capitalist" countries. The old is discarded for the new. In Toronto buildings sitting on very valueable property and protected by heritage laws either burn down mysteriously or get clearance from city council for demolition. As for this building, you'd think that a country famed for its' cigars would do more to keep these landmarks relevant to what they were.

Same thing here in St.Catharines area.

They are going to tear down an old area in Port Dalhouse to put up a very tall condo.

Tallest building there now is about 3 stories.

Money speaks louder than history or community.

[Ryan]

Great post as always Jose. Very interesting stuff.

Great post José but also very sad.

For me, just as sad as Sloppy Joe's Bar and a lot of other buildings.

As for Sloppy Joe's Guy. We talked the builders into letting us onto the site last month to get some pictures, work is going ahead but it's not exactly what you might call a "sympathetic" restoration. I've been meaning to get pictures up, I'll try and do a thread tomorrow.

Talk to you very soon buddy.

[Ken Gargett]

very sad, jose. i've always believed that if properly spruced up, havana would be one of the most beautiful cities in the world - as magnificent as paris or madrid or many others.

if there is that little interest in preserving the city at this stage, what happens when the embargo goes? will that factory become the next mcdonalds or sizzler?