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October 26, 2023

Havana's once stately homes crumble as their residents live in fear of an imminent collapse

  • Government figures from 2020 say Cuba had 3.9 million homes, out of which nearly 40% were deemed to be in only fair or poor condition.
    • By ANDREA RODRIGUEZ
    Associated Press

    AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa [enlarge]
    This dilapidated mansion on Villegas Street in Havana houses six families. It is one of many once luxurious houses that in recent years have partially collapsed or suffered visible damage.

    HAVANA — The house on Villegas Street, in the heart of Old Havana, looks nothing like the stately two-story home it used to be a century ago, with its high ceilings, wrought iron railings, semicircular arches and stairs covered in white marble. Its former elegance is such that local lore says it used to belong to a marquise.


     
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