National Art Schools

Cubanacan, Havana, Cuba
1961--1965
Architects Ricardo Porro, Roberto Gottardi, and Vittorio Garati envisioned revolutionary building for revolutionary times in their design for Cuba's National Schools of Art, begun in 1959. Under Fidel Castro, plans were drawn for a complex outside Havana that would combine national schools of modern dance, plastic arts, dramatic arts, music, and ballet. Native brick and terra cotta would be used instead of imported steel, and exuberantly domed buildings would meld with the natural landscape. Only the schools of modern dance and plastic arts were completed, and both remain in use; the other facilities were left unfinished. Chronic poor maintenance and ill-conceived additions have greatly compromised the two school buildings, as well as the semi-finished structures. Water leaks, a faulty drainage system, structural defects, vegetation, and vandalism are among the ills. The chief obstacle to repair is a lack of funds, although preservation of the National Schools of Art cannot proceed without a master plan that documents and analyzes the site and proposes solutions for the unfinished buildings.