The old Casino Español de La Habana, which later became the Círculo Social Obrero José Ramón Rodríguez in the Playa municipality, is yet another victim of the neglect and indifference of the Cuban regime.
A young woman named Camila Carballo shared a video on Facebook last Saturday, showing the ruinous condition of the facility.
As can be seen in the brief clip, certain areas that were meant to be part of a beautiful installation already reveal exposed bricks, and in some places, the steel beams of the structure are even visible.
However, there is also no doubt about its magnificent and privileged location by the sea, which once made it a beautiful and highly visited place, although now there is hardly any trace of that splendor.
In 2023, following the publication of images of the site on social media, internet users called for these facilities to be handed over to the private sector, arguing that it would be able to rescue the buildings from neglect.
Among those who commented on the post, there was someone who claimed to have visited the resort before 1959, during the years of its glory.
"It wasn't the aforementioned Club, one of those known as part of the 'High Life,' but I do remember it was well-decorated in a Cuban-Iberian style. The ticket booths, on the upper floor, were well-managed by uniformed attendants and kept very clean," reported one person.
Miramar, located within the municipality of Playa, was one of the main residential areas of Havana. Before 1959, it was chosen as the site for the inauguration of several seaside resorts that served as yacht clubs and social centers for the recreation of wealthy families and the middle class.
After January 1959, with Fidel Castro in power, all those recreational centers were nationalized, and many were transformed into what were called Workers' Social Circles. Most of them were located along the coastal strip in the western part of Havana, from the Torreón de La Chorrera to Jaimanitas, in the Playa municipality.
In addition to José Ramón Rodríguez (Casino Español de La Habana), others include Félix Elmuza (Club Náutico), Julio Antonio Mella (Havana Yacht Club), and Braulio Coroneaux (La Concha).
Due to their proximity to the coast, the deterioration of most of these facilities is accelerating exponentially, further compounded by the fact that, in recent decades, the Cuban regime has not implemented adequate conservation measures for them.
This site joins the long list of iconic places in Cuba that are being driven to disappearance by a regime incapable of keeping them standing amid the current economic crisis.
In the municipality of Playa, you can find the popular pizzeria Lisboa, better known as La Copa Pizzeria, another place that is gradually fading away.
The old nightclub of the Comodoro hotel shares a similar fate, as it is currently a dumping ground for debris and for people who leave their trash there.
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