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The Fernando Ortíz Papers principally contain original manuscript and typescript notes taken by Fernando Ortíz (1881-1969) on vernacular Cuban architecture and the history of Cuban architecture. Ortíz was specifically researching the indigenous, African and other folk influences on architecture and building construction.  Other materials related to his research, such as pamphlets and clippings, represent a small part of the collection.

The collection also contains preservation photocopies of the original manuscript material and one folder of scholarly research on the work of Fernando Ortíz.

The Lydia Cabrera papers document the life and career of writer and ethnographer Lydia Cabrera, one of the 20th century’s leading writers on Cuban folklore and an internationally known chronicler of Afro-Cuban culture and religion. The materials include correspondence, manuscripts of her works, field notes, interviews, photographs, illustrations, and memorabilia. This collection also contains documentation about the restoration of several colonial buildings in Cuba.

A highlight of the collection are the libretas, or notebooks, collected by Cabrera from Santeria priests and priestesses that document rituals and religious practices of the Afro-Cuban faith. These are found in Series 3 along with her manuscripts and field notes.

Part of this collection has been digitized and is available in the University of Miami Digital Collections online repository.

The Nicolás Quintana papers document the professional activities of Cuban-born architect Nicolás Quintana (1925-2011) in Cuba and while he lived in exile in Miami, Florida. The collection includes correspondence, photographs, architectural drawings, syllabi and other materials from classes taught by Quintana in Puerto Rico, promotional materials from Quintana's exhibits in Miami, materials from architectural conferences in which Quintana participated, and clippings and articles related to Quintana and his work. The collection encompasses the beginning of Quintana's professional career in Cuba as well as his extensive architectural and teaching work in exile, especially in Puerto Rico and Miami.

The collection contains documents, photographs, printed PowerPoints and a USB with digital information related to architect Alicia Pujals Mederos.

Biography:
Alicia Romelia María Pujals y Mederos was born in La Habana, Cuba, on December 12, 1921. Her parents were Romelia Mederos y Cabañas and Francisco Pujals y Claret. She was the couple's third of four children: Francisco, Elena, Alicia, and José. Her older brother, Francisco, was an engineer (as was her father); her older sister, Elena, was also an architect; and her younger brother, José, was an agricultural engineer. Alicia enjoyed a charmed youth, surrounded by family and friends, many with whom she remained close throughout her life. She grew up in an environment grounded in strong family, moral, and ethical values, as well as a deep appreciation of nature and the Arts, particularly anything related to "extraordinary" architectural and engineering designs. While growing up in Cuba, she traveled widely with her family throughout Cuba and also visited a number of places in Europe, Latin America, Canada, and the U.S.A. This travel exposed her to different cultures as well as art and architecture throughout the ages and around the world.

Her formal education started at El Colegio Sepúlveda and continued at El Instituto de Segunda Enseñanza de La Habana. She then went on to study Architecture at La Universidad de La Habana, where she met her future husband, Raúl L. Mora y Suarez Galbán. They married on December 23, 1945 and had three children (Alicia Cristina, María Elena, and Raúl Francisco). Alicia graduated from the School of Engineering and Architecture at La Universidad de La Habana, earning the title of Architect on July 15, 1946. She initiated her work as a Professional Architect at Pujals y Cia., her family's firm, and her work received acclaim with immediacy. Her achievements as an architect included industry awards and recognition in multiple professional, educational, and popular publications, including Álbum de Cuba and Vanidades. Her work was featured in exhibits at El Lyceum, Colegio de Arquitectos, and Palacio de Bellas Artes in Cuba; the Architectural League of New York; and The Florida Association of Architects Convention (held in Palm Beach, FL in 1955).
Alicia's first home was at "Malecón 40." She lived there until her parents moved their family to a new home at "Quinta Avenida y 24, Miramar." Her final home in Cuba was at the house that she and her husband (Structural Engineer Raúl L. Mora y Suarez Galbán) designed and built at "Calle 24 #505 5ay 7a Ave., Miramar." This house was the "crowning joy" of their professional experience. Florencia Peñate Díaz writes that these works are “characterized by their rationalist codes, the use of reinforced concrete, glass, levels roofs with elements of environmental adequacy such as wide eaves and transparent shutters” (76). Unfortunately, they were only able to enjoy this home for a few years before the family deemed it necessary to leave Cuba. However, in future years they were able to collaborate in the design and construction of two other homes for themselves - the first in Dade City (Pasco County, FL) in 1980, and the second, an addition to the home they had designed for their daughter Maria Elena and her family in Dade City in 1970, which was completed in 2007.
In July 1960, Alicia and Raúl emigrated to the U.S.A. with their three children and two nephews. They also opened their home to Alicia’s brother and his wife’s children, Victor J., Gloria I., and Beatríz M. right through their college years, as José was a political prisoner in Cuba until 1988. Upon realizing that their stay in the United States would not be a short one, Alicia and Raúl followed the established procedures to change their immigration status from "Tourist" to "Resident," and eventually became Naturalized American Citizens. In addition, they applied for "Registration" as a "Professional Architect" and "Professional Engineer," so they could practice their professions in the United States. Raúl succeeded in this pursuit, but Alicia as well as her sister Elena (who had already become a renowned Architect in Cuba and abroad, as well as an esteemed Professor of Architecture at La Universidad de La Habana) were unfathomably denied their requests by the Florida State Board of Architecture. The rejection from the State Board of Architecture meant that both Alicia and Elena would have to submit to a series of oral and written exams before they could be considered for Registration status. This also meant that they would not be able to practice their beloved profession in Florida.
Since both Alicia and her sister Elena were actively engaged with other professionals in similar situations, they were cognizant of the fact that a number of male Cuban architects (some of them former students of her sister Elena, at La Universidad de La Habana) had

been granted the "Registration" they sought, without additional exam requirements. As a result, both Alicia and Elena were encouraged to appeal the State Board's ruling, but their appeals were denied. On the basis of previous work-based experiences, they interpreted this "final" ruling by the Board as a personal affront, perhaps influenced by the fact that they were women in a male-dominated industry and were thus unwelcome colleagues. Judging by feminist architectural scholarship such as that by Díaz, who has written about female architects in Cuba, focusing on the Pujals sisters specifically, the women were correct in their interpretations.1 As a result, they decided to take a stand in protest of what they believed to be a discriminatory and unjust decision by refusing to take the exams. They realized and accepted the fact that taking such a stand, would limit their opportunities to practice architecture.

In spite of this major setback, however, their determination and love or architecture kept them active in the field. Elena turned to the field of Education, and Alicia found satisfying architectural work with Miller Florida Homes, Inc. - prominent developer in the State of Florida - and would maintain this working relationship for nearly 50 years. Alicia’s innovative designs gave the Millers an edge in the highly competitive South Florida residential construction market and caused their sales to increase beyond expectations. Over the years, Alicia's influence with Miller Homes, Inc., in Florida expanded to developments in Broward County (Lakeview Estates in Plantation), Palm Beach County, and Hillsborough County (Ruskin). Near the end of her career (at age 70), she received the First-Place award for the design of Model 1003 Trendsetter for Miller's Florida Homes, Inc.at the Ruskin, FL, Parade of Homes. This late award came after numerous others during the course of her career; most notably she won First-Place in a low budget model house competition for the Corporación Nacional de Asistencia Pública, which was built in 1948 in Cuba when she was 27 years old.

On August 11, 2008, surrounded by her husband, children, grandchildren, and extended family, Alicia passed away peacefully.

Notes

1. Díaz writes that during the modernization of Cuban architecture, whereby new designs began to distinguish themselves from the colonial, female architects were as much part of the movement as men. Despite the fact that in 1906 the first woman matriculated in architecture on island, the University of Havana did not start admitting female students in architecture until 1922/23. By 1952, however, there were substantially more female matriculates which was a reflection of wider breakthroughs in women’s rights, such as divorce rights, the right to work, and the right to vote. Regardless of how much women were actually involved in the architectural modernization of Cuba, magazines and publications at the time framed women’s contributions as ancillary to that of men, which is a trend that has largely continued in the historical narrative of Cuban architectural development. Therefore, Diaz believes that the importance of her research lies in identifying modern architectural works designed by women and, with this in mind, legitimizing under-recognized labor, barely reflected in studies regarding architecture. See: Florencia Peñate Díaz, “La obra de las arquitectas cubanas de la República entre los años 40 y fines de los 50 del siglo XX / The work of female Cuban architects of the Republic between the 1940s and the late 50s of the 20th century.” Arquitectura y Urbanismo, vol. 33, no. 1, 2012, pp. 70-82.

Works Cited

Díaz, Florencia Peñate. “Significado de la obra de las arquitectas cubanas Elena y Alicia Pujals Mederos / The significance of the work of Cuban architects Elena and Alicia Pujals Mederos.” Arquitectura y Urbanismo, vol. 37, no. 1, 2016, pp. 26-36.

The collection contains architectural photographs, sketches, and designs documenting the work of Nicolás Arroyo and Gabriela Menéndez, active in Cuba from the 1940s to 1950s.

Bio:
Nicolás Arroyo Márquez (1917–2008) and Gabriela Menéndez Garcia-Beltran (1917–2008) were architects from Havana, Cuba, who are remembered as pioneers of modernist Cuban architecture of the 1940s and 1950s. Additionally, Arroyo, who was known as ‘Lin,’ served in the government of Fulgencio Batista as Minster of Public Works from 1952-1958, and was also the Ambassador to the United States in 1958 before Fidel Castro rose to power. Arroyo and Menéndez both obtained their degrees in architecture from the University of Havana in 1941; Eduardo Castellanos, cousin of Arroyo, stated that "The two were students who disputed the top positions of their class, because they both had outstanding intelligence and passion for the architecture'' (qtd. in Cancio Isla). Though rivalling each other in academic vigor, the pair fell in love and married in December 1942, staying together until they died just three days apart – Gabriela on July 10th 2008 and Nicolás on July 13th 2008 – leaving behind one son.

After their marriage in 1942, Arroyo and Menéndez formed their architectural firm, ‘Arroyo y Menéndez,’ described by Florencia Peñate Díaz as “una de las más prestigiosas de la República / one of the most prestigious of the Republic” (79), thus initiating the beginning of their irrevocable impact on the landscape of contemporary Cuba. As a team and as individuals, Arroyo and Menéndez’s legacies transcend merely the buildings they left behind. The couple both participated in the Technical Group of Contemporary Studies (Agrupación Técnica de Estudios Contemporáneos, ATEC), which eventually led to Cuba’s incorporation into the International Congress of Modern Architecture (CIAM). The congress was founded in 1928 with the purpose of creating a space for the cross-fertilization of ideas pertaining to architecture as both an art form and a field of academic study; it disbanded in 1959. Victor Pérez Escolano relates, “In Cuba, the creation of the Technical Group of Contemporary Studies (Agrupación Técnica de Estudios Contemporáneos, ATEC) reflects how architects who had innovative ideas, but were looking for an alternative to the more severe avant-garde groupings, could gather” (88). According to the late architect Nicolás Quintana, who worked on an urban planning initiative created by Arroyo as a part of the Junta Nacional de Planificación (Board for National Planning), “Arroyo’s [and no doubt Menéndez’s] influence was decisive in putting Cuba on the CIAM map” (qtd. in Cancio Isla) from 1947 onwards when Arroyo attended the 6th CIAM congress held in England.

Despite leaving Cuba in 1959 when Fidel Castro came to power, the couple had already left their mark on the landscape. Most notably, in collaboration with Los Angeles architect Welton Becket, in 1958 the pair designed what was then known as the Havana Hilton Hotel, currently Habana Libre-Guitart. Towering over the business district, El Vedado, Havana, the “capital’s modernist emblem,” (321) as described by Giuliana Bruno in “Havana: Memoirs of Material Culture,” is the twenty-seven story that occupies an entire city block. At the time it was built, it was the tallest building in Latin America and the Caribbean and attracted flocks of celebrity guests. The building was designed and built under the guidance of Fulgencio Batista, as Peter Moruzzi, author of Havana Before Castro writes, “Batista considered the Habana Hilton among his proudest achievements, its huge blue-lit rooftop ‘Hilton’ name announcing to the world that the eminent Conrad Hilton had confidence in Cuba’s future – that the country was a safe place in which to invest – and that tourists could now find in Havana the modern comforts they expected in a top international resort” (qtd. in Perur). However, the hotel’s status as the unrivalled touristic site of modern Havana was not to last as Castro moved into the building and nationalized and renamed it in 1960. Bruno narrates, “The hotel still features in the lobby evidence of the passage of Fidel, who turned a touristic site into home while choosing a mobile home for a revolutionary symbol” (321). For three months, Continental Suite 2324 was his main headquarters and on January 19th1959 he gave his first press conference in the hotel’s ballroom.

In addition to the Havana Hilton Hotel, which was the last building designed in Cuba under the ‘Arroyo y Menéndez’ banner, the pair of architects left behind other notable buildings before departing the island for good. In 1954 Cuba’s first modernist church, named San Pablo, was completed; despite the fact that it is currently used as a warehouse, at the time the building was notable for its bell tower clad in concrete lattice work. In the same year building work began on the National Theater of Cuba, which was a Cubist concrete design; the structure, however, remained unfinished and did not open to the public until 1979. The 1955-1957 Sport’s Palace, or “Coliseo,” (Coliseo de la Cuidad Deportiva) is a circular arena designed to accommodate fifteen thousand spectators. Tony Perrottet describes the building as “A circular covered arena whose Jet Age design resembled a white flying saucer” (317). Also, though never built, the 1956 “Las Palmas” Presidential Palace was designed by José Luis Sert and his team alongside Menéndez for Batista’s “Plan Piloto.” The design warrants mention in Eduardo Baez’s Cruelty and Utopia: Cities and Landscapes of Latin America and is described as: “a dream-like presidential palace that would have been located between the fortresses of the Morro and the Cabaña. It commanded an impressive view of the whole city, a transparent and clear building that contrasted with the dark and crooked political power within” (141). The Presidential Palace, alongside Menéndez’s other important designs and the fact that during the time Arroyo was serving as Minister of Public Works she ran the company office, led Victor Deupi, co-curator of the recent exhibition in Miami, Cuban Architects at Home and in Exile, to say that her and other female architects’ work “stands on its own” (qtd. in Delson). Deupi’s comments are an important acknowledgment of the implicit male-dominated, and more so during this time certainly, sexist industry that female architects were operating in. Díaz, who has written what I am describing as feminist architectural histories of Cuba, notes that while Menéndez was referenced in Álbum de Cuba and the magazine, Arquitectura, this mention was because she was working alongside her husband (72).1 However, her work also evinces how these conditions, at least for the women in question, did not prevent them from producing valuable work.

After 1959 the couple left for Washington D.C., where they would stay for the rest of their lives, continuing to practice as architects for residential as well as commercial projects. In addition, Arroyo served on the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts from 1971-1976. Aside from the visible legacies they left behind on landscapes in both the U.S. and Cuba, their work features prominently in Eduardo Luis Rodríguez’s 2000 The Havana Guide: Modern Architecture (1925-1965). More recently, the couple’s work is featured on a digital map of twentieth-century Cuban architecture made, in the words of the co-creator Josef Asteinza, “for documenting and conserving the historic fabric of the twentieth-century city.”

Notes

1. See also: Florencia Peñate Díaz, “Significado de la obra de las arquitectas cubanas Elana y Alicia Pujals Mederos / The significance of the work of Cuban architects Elena and Alicia Pujals Mederos.” Arquitectura y Urbanismo, vol. 37, no. 1, 2016, pp. 26-36.

Works Cited

Asteinza, Josef. “Mapping Cuba’s Twentieth-Century Architecture.” Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy, 30 Nov. 2016, www.ascecuba.org/asce_proceedings/mapping-cubas-twentieth-century-architecture/. Accessed 2 Dec. 2019.

Baez, Eduardo. Cruelty and Utopia: Cities and Landscapes of Latin America. Princeton Architectural Press, 2003.

Bruno, Guiliana. “Havana: Memoirs of Material Culture.” Journal of Visual Culture, vol. 2, no. 3, 2003, pp. 303-324.

Delson, Susan. “Preview: Cuban Architects at Home and in Exile: The Modernist Generation.” Cubanartnews, 25 October 2016. Accessed Nov. 23 2019.

Díaz, Florencia Peñate. “La obra de las arquitectas cubanas de la República entre los años 40 y fines de los 50 del siglo XX / The work of female Cuban architects of the Republic between the 1940s and the late 50s of the 20th century.” Arquitectura y Urbanismo, vol. 33, no. 1, 2012, pp. 70-82.

Escolano, Victor Pérez. “A European Glance in the Mirror of Caribbean Modern Architecture.” Translated by Isabelle Kite. Docomomo, no. 33, 2005.

Isla, Wilfredo Cancio. “Falleció Nicolás Arroyo, pionero del modernismo cubano / Nicolás Arroyo, pioneer of Cuban modernism, died.” el Nuevo Herald, 25 July 2008, www.elnuevoherald.com/ultimas-noticias/article1934191.html. Accessed Nov. 18 2019.

Perrottet, Tony. Cuba Libre! Che, Fidel, and the Improbable Revolution That Changed the World. Blue Rider Press, 2019.

Perur, Srinath. “The Habana Libre hotel, pawn in Castro's battle against the US - a history of cities in 50 buildings, day 34.” The Guardian, 12 May 2015, www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/may/12/havana-habana-libre-castro-cuba-us-history-cities-50-buildings-day-34. Accessed Nov. 18 2019.

The collection contains five scrapbooks with clippings, designs and photographs of finished buildings with examples of architectural works created by the firm Gelabert-Navia Arquitectos in Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Cuba, as well as a binder with diplomas and awards and four wooden plaque diplomas for the José Alfredo Gilbert (1927-2017) and Rosa Navia Gelabert (1929-2017). The husband and wife team were active professionally in Cuba from 1952 to 1960.

The collection contains four scrapbooks and other photographs of projects on which José Escudé worked as an engineer in Cuba. The bulk of the photographs are of Cuban architecture, street scenes, cities, towns, and family portraits. The collection also contains personal documents related to José Escudé, his son Joseph, and his daughter Margaret, as well as documents and blueprints related to mines owned by José Escudé.