Havana Modern: Twentieth-Century Architecture and InteriorsThe latest book by Michael Connors, Foreword by Ricardo Porro
A revealing collection of astonishingly fresh and undiscovered mid-century architecture and interiors in Havana.
Caribbean design expert and historian Michael Connors leads the reader on an unprecedented tour in Havana of the stunning and architecturally important private homes and buildings that have been meticulously preserved, previously unphotographed, and mostly inaccessible to visitors. This lavishly illustrated book represents the modern movement in Cuban architecture from art nouveau and art deco to the flowering of high modernism just before the Revolution.
At a time when more travelers are rediscovering Cuba, this volume offers a wide range of the city’s twentieth-century cultural achievements. The photographs, shot exclusively for the book, show examples from the artsy Vedado neighborhood, the seaside streets of Miramar, Central Havana, and Havana’s posh Country Club Park area. The book includes such iconic places as Cuba’s remarkably futuristic National Schools of Art; the famous art deco landmark Bacardi building, once the headquarters of the Cuban rum empire; Casa de Alfred von Schulthess by Richard Neutra; the stylishly modernist, Habana Riviera Hotel, and its original 1957 Interiors; the Hotel Nacional de Cuba designed by McKim, Mead and White, located on Havana’s seaside drive the Malecón; and the world-famous Tropicana cabaret nightclub by noted architect Max Borges.
Havana Modern is a pioneering book of modern design that shows a corner of the world where modern architecture thrived and has been carefully preserved.
Michael Connors has more than 30 years of experience in writing, consultation, and teaching in fine and decorative arts. He is regarded as the exponent and arbiter of caribbean architecture and decorative arts, has written many books, including The Splendor of Cuba, Caribbean Houses and British West Indies Style.
Ricardo Porro is a Cuban-born architect. In 1961 he was designated by Fidel Castro as the lead architect and head of design for Havana’s National Schools of Art. He presently lives in Paris.
In celebration of the release of CUBA: 101 Beautiful and Nostalgic Places to Visit, we have compiled a series of additional Cuban-related resources from MCI as seen below:
Off to Cuba on American Airlines w/ Wayne Smith, former Chief of Mission at the US Interests Section in Havana (equivalent to an Embassy where no formal diplomatic relations exist) under President Jimmy Carter from 1972 to 1982 ...
Read More
"During Havana, Cuba's 15th International Ernest Hemingway Colloquium I met with Oscar "Cayuco" (the Homerun Kid) Blas, last surviving member of the original "Estrellas de Gigi". Established in the 1940s to provide an ...
Read More
Connors at one of his Naples book-signings w/ John Parke Wright IV, a sixth generation Floridan whose ancestors pioneered trade between Cuba and the US from the 1850s.
Read More
Connors with Dr. Orestes del Castillo, a Cuban architect and professor who currently oversees the Architectural branch of Havana's Office of the Historian.
Read More
Ricardo Porro, one of Cuba's greatest mid-twentieth century architects passed away in Paris on December 25, 2014
Read More
Swiss Ambassador to Cuba, Anne-Pascale Krauer Müller and Michael Connors touring the Swiss Ambassador's residence in Havana, Casa de Alfred von Schulthess, designed by internationally renowned modernist architect Richard Neutra.
Read More
Michael Connors and Robert Stern, Dean of the Yale University School of Architecture and who joined Connors on one of his architectural tours of Havana.
Read More
A photo gallery of images from Michael Connors' most recent book, Havana Modern: 20th Century Architecture and Interiors
Read More
A photo gallery showing displaying a variety of beautiful images from throughout Cuba, collected from Michael Connors Ph.D.'s previous publications on Cuba.
Read More
by Michael Connors, Ph.D.
At a time when hope is in the air that travel to Cuba may soon be possible again, this lavishly illustrated volume offers a different view of the island’s culture.
by Michael Connors, Ph.D.
In Cuban Elegance (hardcover, 176 pages), Michael Connors unveils aspects of Cuban history that belie the perception of most of the outside world.
Michael Connors explores the architectural values and the current preservation of Hemingway's Finca Vigia.
Read More
Dr. Michael Connors’ presentation at the Ernest Hemingway Museum at Finca Vigia, titled “Finca Vigia” is sponsored by Fundacion Amistad, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is . . .
Read More
Fundación Amistad, working with the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA/LA) and California African American Museum (CAAM) as administrative and touring partners . . .
Read More
El investigador Michael Connors ofrece una conferencia sobre el esplendor del estilo en la Isla y muestra fotografías de un libro en preparación, dedicado a la capital cubana.
Read More
Michael Connors dicta la conferencia "El esplendor del Art Déco en La Habana". El encuentro propone evaluar el potencial patrimonial del país caribeño y al mismo tiempo promover su rescate y restauración.
Read More
The American Library in Paris’ Wednesday, November 14th evening with author Dr. Michael Connors and his book "The Splendor of Cuba: 450 Years of Architecture and Interiors" was well attended by . . .
Read More
Lecture and presentation featuring: The Splendor of Cuba: 450 Years of Architecture and Interiors by Michael Connors, Ph.D., at La Casa de Las Tejas Verdes (The House of the Green Tiles); part of Cuban Culture Day Celebration at: Center for
Read More
There’s much more to the island of Cuba than the widespread images of barefoot children playing in the streets, laundry hanging in pathetic backyards, and dilapidated buildings crumbling from decades of neglect. And Michael Connors has
Read More
Michael Connors’ book, “Splendor of Cuba” gets a mention in a New York Times "T Magazine" article about tourists returning to Cuba.
Read More
