Cuba's Capitol reopens after years of restoration

MARCH 1, 2018 / 4:58 PM / UPDATED 6 HOURS AGO

 Nelson Acosta, Sarah Marsh

HAVANA (Reuters) - After eight years of restoration work, Cuba on Thursday re-opened to the public the doors of its Capitol, an imposing neoclassical gem previously shunned as a symbol of U.S. imperialism now to become the seat of its national assembly.

Built in 1929 to house Cuba’s Congress and inspired by Washington’s Capitol, it was swiftly repurposed after Fidel Castro’ 1959 leftist revolution along with other buildings seen as testament to corrupt governments too cozy with the Americans.

Most recently used for the Science and Technology Ministry, its restoration was started in 2010 as part of the Office of City Historian’s revamp of Havana, one of the architectural treasures of Latin America.

Four years later came the landmark announcement of a U.S.-Cuban detente by Cuban President Raul Castro and former U.S. President Barack Obama, although that is now under threat from the more hostile stance of the administration of Donald Trump.

More:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cuba-capitol/cubas-capitol-reopens-after-years-of-restoration-idUSKCN1GD6L1?rpc=401&