Havana’s Promenades and Avenues: Alameda de Paula

Photo Feature by Ariel Glaria

HAVANA TIMES – Havana’s architecture has been influenced, from the very beginning, by its condition as a natural alternative to the sea/physical border and the intense Caribbean sun.

Older than the famous Paseo del Prado, Alameda de Paula (Paula boulevard), is the first space built for social reasons in front of the sea, inside the walled city.

Due to its proximity to Havana’s port, it filled with docks and warehouses with the turn of the 20th century, and goods arrived here from all over the world.

 As a result, the old church (which has now been renovated and has been converted into a cultural center) was under the threat of being demolished. The old boulevard also ran the risk of disappearing.

Today, with its fountain and benches made of stone taken from the now-extinct San Lazaro quarry, Havana’s oldest boulevard is undergoing a rebirth.

NOTE: The fountain was installed in 1847.

(Click on an image to display the gallery.)

Ariel Glaria

Ariel Glaria Enriquez: I was born in Havana Cuba in 1969. I am proud bearer of an endangered concept: habanero. I don’t know of another city, therefore life in it along with its customs, joys and pain are the biggest reason why I write. I studied mechanical drawing, but I am working as a restorer. I dream of a Havana with the splendor and importance it once had.