Blog #3 "Cuba's Forgotten Schools"

One of the most interesting videos out of all the readings and videos was the Unfinished Spaces film. The film provides an in-depth analysis of the different projects that were started during the Cuban revolution. Everyone wanted to make big things, bigger than the country itself. Today those projects are abandoned buildings that were never given a chance because of the embargo. One of the most infamous stories stems from Fidel Castro and Che Guevara deciding to play golf at a country club one day. Fidel wanted to allow students of art to study in this beautiful landscape. Fidel sought out Ricardo Porro, an Italian architect, to design and build the school of art. He gave him only two months. The construction began as soon as the first drawings were done. Catalonian vaults were a key component of the architectural plan. People doubted the idea but were quickly proven wrong when construction began. Students occupied the school before construction was finished and they flourished in their new scenery. All of the schools were interconnected with no main entrance, which allowed students from the different schools to talk, share ideas, and ultimately grow closer. The school was one of the greatest architectural phenomenons ever, but it was somewhat overshadowed by what happened next in the architecture of Cuba. 

The Cubans began to adopt the Soviet Union’s way of constructing buildings. This meant refabrication, and it was awful. Many Cuban architects envied foreign architects who got the opportunity to create the school. They were seen as elitists who only cared about themselves. In the eyes of Che Guevara, the scholarship students who attended the school shouldn’t be allowed to practice any sort of freedom. Soon the school became militarized and the prime minister ordered that any nonproductive construction be stopped. Of course, the art schools were in this category. Many parts of the school were left unfinished. One of the saddest parts of the story is when Porro was no longer allowed to practice as an architect. The Cuban regime wanted all of the architecture to be soviet. Ultimately, Porro decided to leave Cuba for Paris, and thus began the grey period.

They began to kick students out of school and give them completely different jobs. They even accused Garrati of being a spy and had him expelled from Cuba. From there, the buildings were used for various projects, but never what they were intended for. They let the buildings deteriorate from the weather and never did any maintenance. From there, the infamous project to turn a golf course into the National school of art went downhill and the stubbornness of the Cuban government almost allowed it to become just another abandoned building. I look forward to visiting this site in Cuba and taking many pictures for my grandfather who is an architect himself. He is so ecstatic for me to see the school in person.