Built in the 19th century, the building that houses the Oscar Fernández Morera Academy of Fine Arts in Trinidad was originally the Cavalry Barracks, a military complex of significant historical importance.
The building, designed with stunning architectural details, served as a railway station starting in 1919 and was ultimately converted into the Academy of Fine Arts in 1988, marking the beginning of a new era of splendor and creativity.
However, the current reality contrasts sharply with its glorious past. Today, the building is in a critically deteriorated state, with cracked walls, collapsed ceilings, unprotected windows, and weeds covering former artistic spaces, as documented in a report published by the state-run newspaper Escambray.
The lack of maintenance and prolonged disuse have led the Dragones Barracks to what experts describe as an "archaeological ruin."
From Fortress to Academy: A Story of Adaptation and Creativity
The Dragoon Barracks was inaugurated in 1844 and, years later, converted into a train station. In 1988, amid a state of neglect, the barracks welcomed students and teachers from the Academy of Fine Arts, who transformed the space into a center for artistic creation despite the deplorable conditions.
During the more than 20 years that the academy was active, Trinidad became a birthplace of renowned Cuban artists such as Alexander Arrechea and Wilfredo Prieto.
The academy not only provided training in disciplines such as painting, sculpture, jewelry making, and restoration, but it also served as a sanctuary of creativity in a city rich with artistic traditions.
It was precisely this rich cultural history that inspired its students and teachers, who saw the building as more than just old walls and towers.
A restoration project and its abandonment
In 2001, the academy underwent a comprehensive renovation as part of the Battle of Ideas, a program that facilitated the restoration of the Dragones Barracks with a multimillion investment of 4.69 million CUC.
However, in 2013, the school was abruptly closed as part of a process to reorganize Artistic Education in the country, and the historic building was left abandoned.
In the following years, it was temporarily used as a pre-university and elementary school, but the deterioration was immediate.
"An important piece of our culture is dying."
The building today faces a desolate situation: ferns and weeds cover the old halls, graffiti defiles its walls, and its ceilings threaten to collapse.
According to Víctor Echenagusía Peña, a specialist from the Office of the Conservator of the City of Trinidad and the Valley of the Ingenios, the condition of the structure necessitates urgent and costly intervention.
"The depredation has been very high. It is a body without a skeleton. It erodes Cuban culture at extraordinary levels," Echenagusía points out.
However, the future of the Cuartel de Dragones is uncertain. Efforts to save the building are hindered by a lack of financial resources and institutional interest.
While the Office of the Conservator cannot intervene without the approval of the Cultural and Artistic Sector, the current economic situation makes comprehensive restoration nearly impossible.
The possibility of the Ministry of Tourism converting the building into a hotel has sparked debate, as it could undermine the original values of the structure.
Meanwhile, former students and teachers view the building with a mix of nostalgia and sadness. “I prefer to remember it in its glory and not in its sorrow,” confesses artist Yudit Vidal Faife.
The structure, which once thrived as a vibrant center of training and creativity, now languishes in neglect, caught between oblivion and the lack of solutions for a space that, as it itself expresses, “is witnessing an important piece of our culture dying.”
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