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Palacio de los Capitanes Generales
This street in front of the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales is actually made of wood. In fact, the whole square was paved like this because the governor housed in this building complained of the noise made by the horse’s hooves.
In 1768, the previous Town Hall that stood in Plaza San Francisco was destroyed in a hurricane so new plans were put forward on the 28th of January 1773 by the governor Felipe de Fondesviela, marqués de la Torre. He suggested to the city council that the Plaza should be enlarged and the Parroquial Mayor church be demolished for the new building, a prison and a post office.
Working from designs by the Cuban engineer and architect, Antonio Fernández de Trebejos y Zaldívar, construction began on this baroque structure in 1776 and eventually finished in 1792.
In 1835 under Colonel Pastor new restructuring work removed the prison from the front of the building and enlarged the Governor’s house.
Historical artifacts on display on the ground floor here illustrate original colonial elements. One item of note called ‘La Giradilla’, a statue that became symbolic of Havana, was originally located on the tower of the nearby Castillo de la Real Fuerza, and which now stands at the foot of the stairs leading to the mezzanine. Other exhibits include Cuba’s oldest colonial monument: the Cenotaph. It was taken from the original Parroquial Mayor church. There are several relics from the Espada Cemetery, founded by Juan José Diaz de Espada in 1806 and includes the tomb of the French artist Jean Baptiste Vermay.
Many other religious exhibits like 18th century paintings are by unknown artists while antiques such as priceless silver ware and symbolic objects display fine workmanship.
The rooms upstairs are preserved with much of the original furniture and decorative elements. The Hall of Heroic Cuban contains important objects from the wars of independence and flags of national importance like the flag of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, otherwise known as the ‘Father of the Homeland’. Also housed here is the Office of the City Historian, headed by Eusebio Leal, who is responsible for restoration works in this area of Habana Vieja (Old Havana).
Magnificent stone baths in the shape of a nautilus shell and a collection of Roman emperors reveal 19th century sculptures at their best but again there are no details as to the artists whereas, 20th century paintings in another room are by artists such as Armando G Menocal, 1917, Hugo de Soto and Roberto Fabelo Perez to name but a few.
The palacio is quite a sturdy looking building and certainly represented a strong deterrent from an attack due to its thick walls. Materials used in the construction were imported: bricks from Malaga, wrought-iron grilles from Bilbao and Carrara marble from Genoa. ‘Physical labour though was carried out by slaves and progressed so slowly that the new governor, Luís de las Casas y Arragorri, was not able to occupy the building until 1791’. Wood, limestone, and other raw materials were also provided by Pedro Medina. A remarkable characteristic of the limestone on the first storey are the numerous marine fossils embedded in the stone.
Further restructuring took place between 1860-1930, the latter date having been undertaken by Evelio Govantes and Cabarrocas, who constructed the high gallery that permits a wonderful view over the courtyard.
In 1898 the last governor left the palace and it then passed to the US military from 1899-1902. Eventually, members of the Republic used this as an official post until 1920. In 1968 this former official residence of the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales became home to the Museo de la Ciudad (Museum of the City of Havana).
References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palacio_de_los_Capitanes_Generales
Juan de las Cuevas Toraya, 500 Años De Construcciones En Cuba, Havana 2001, pp49-50.
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