What for years served as the headquarters of the Higher Institute of Industrial Design (ISDI) of Cuba no longer exists.
The Municipal Assembly of the People's Power of Centro Habana reported on Facebook about the demolition works at the site, carried out by the company GEICONS, officially confirming the tearing down of a historic building whose gradual deterioration had been reported multiple times.
The concise institutional announcement formally framed a reality that was already evident to the residents: the permanent disappearance of one of the most iconic academic spaces for design in Cuba.
The user Danny González La Rosa shared a video in which a demolition machine is seen tearing down the remaining walls on Belascoaín Street, between Estrella and Maloja.
The audiovisual material and the photographs that have been circulated make it possible to gauge the extent of the destruction: large sections of the building reduced to rubble, dust suspended in the air, and a structure that no longer retains almost any trace of what it once was. For those who knew its history, the scene is particularly shocking.
Reactions quickly multiplied. "Another iconic place in the city is lost," lamented a young person. One user predicted the fate that, in her opinion, the lot might face: "Now it will turn into a public bathroom and a dump." From Texas, a Cuban wrote: "Soon they will turn it into a landfill like in other areas of Havana."
A Havana resident expressed his outrage more broadly: "Resources seem to be available for hotels, but for buildings like this one, a place where many graduated and could continue to educate new generations, there’s only neglect and destruction... When that crowd leaves the government and relinquishes power, if they ever do, they will only leave behind a Cuba that looks like it has emerged from a devastating war, where there is only destruction and sadness."
Another comment highlighted the responsibility for the deterioration: "There are older constructions in perfect condition. What is not maintained falls apart. And of course, that was never taken care of, like so many historic buildings in Havana that are collapsing."
A user summarized with bitter irony: "Demolition, the best option; timely repair is a waste. On every corner, there's an empty space that reminds us of what Havana once was."
The demolition of the building comes after years of warnings about its structural condition. The building, located in Centro Habana, had been showing clear signs of deterioration for some time.
In December, a partial collapse occurred just days after architects warned about the imminent risk. At that time, the company Gómez y Durán Construcciones SRL posted on social media: "When abandonment turns into a partial collapse. The warnings proved useless."
The ISDI was closed in March 2022 due to structural failures that compromised the safety of students and staff. The authorities at the time mentioned a "complicated architectural failure" and temporarily relocated the faculties to other spaces within the University of Havana.
However, the property—built in 1860 and adapted over the years for various uses until it housed the institute since 1984—continued to deteriorate without any comprehensive restoration being carried out.
In July 2024, part of the interior façade, which had been propped up and sealed off, experienced another significant collapse. Access was prohibited "until further notice" due to the risks posed by the structure.
Neighbors and workers then reported having seen people inside the building shortly before the collapses, including homeless individuals who were staying there overnight.
After several collapses, residents collected bricks and materials to reuse in home repairs, reflecting the housing precariousness in the capital.
This was compounded by the looting that occurred last October, when historical records, academic files and furniture disappeared. The lack of security and the absence of effective intervention ultimately turned the old institute into a critical urban risk area.
The case of ISDI is not isolated. In recent years, the number of collapses of both residential buildings and state structures has increased in Havana and other cities across the country.
The lack of systematic maintenance and the postponement of essential investments have accelerated the deterioration of properties with significant historical and social value.
Often, structures are allowed to deteriorate until the only viable solution is demolition, which has resulted in the irreversible loss of numerous heritage buildings.
Like the old ISDI, there are many buildings—both private and public—that show cracks, makeshift supports, and clear signs of instability, posing a danger to those who live, study, or pass by them.
The demolition now carried out by GEICONS marks the end of the physical history of a center that trained generations of designers, but it also brings back to the forefront the construction crisis of the capital and the accumulated costs of years of neglect.
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