Discovering fascinating places is something that always excites me, but I enjoy it even more if those places, in addition to their architecture, have captivating stories that make them unique. Architecture, as an expression of the fine arts, moves us and awakens feelings of awe and admiration. To contemplate a place and be amazed by its beauty and design was exactly what I experienced when I visited this site:

The Museum of The Green Gables House. A center that promotes modern and contemporary architecture in Cuba.

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Although I have passed by this place on several occasions, since it is located in a very central avenue, (5th Avenue, 2nd Street, Miramar), I always saw the house from afar, and never stopped to admire it. However, recently I was in the vicinity and was able to see it up close, it was love at first sight! I decided to find out how to visit it and was delighted to discover that it is a museum and open to the public. So, without wasting any time I scheduled a guided tour to go with my husband and daughter.

On the scheduled day we arrived at the appointed time and were welcomed by the director of the museum, who gave us a detailed tour while explaining the history of the house and its owner, Luisa Rodríguez Faxas. A very moving story.

Before starting our tour, we go up to the attic via a spiral staircase that connects the four levels of the house. A conference room has been set up in this space, where visitors can learn about the fascinating history of the place. The director showed us several slides, some of them of the house in its early days and others illustrating the pitiful state of disrepair it was in by 2005, when the Office of the Historian of Havana began restoration work to restore it to its original splendor, following the death of its owner.

This residence enjoys a privileged location, right at the beginning of 5th Avenue, in the exclusive neighborhood of Miramar. This avenue was home to the most splendid mansions of the time. The Green Gables House was built in 1926 and, although it remains almost identical today, it has undergone minor modifications. For example, a photograph from 1926 shows that it originally had two chimneys. It is not currently known why it was decided to remove them, or whether they were destroyed as a result of some meteorological event.

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What it has maintained from the beginning, and what distinguishes it, is the light green tone of its facade and the more intense green of the tiles of its gable roof.

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The property gradually fell into disrepair after 1959. For a long time, it did not receive adequate maintenance due to the owner's lack of financial resources, and this gradually wore it down and ruined a mansion that was once a symbol of elegance.

Restoration work

Prior to its restoration, the house had lost its splendor and its distinctive green color. The walls were peeling and unpainted, parts of the plaster were missing. In different places on the roof, the tiles had fallen off, leaving holes, which allowed water to seep in, and due to the humidity that was ravaging the place, the decorative elements on the ceilings and walls were lost.

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_{Images taken from the presentation}

The comprehensive restoration was carried out using old photographs of the site and preserving the original design spaces. Among the structural repairs, it was necessary to rebuild all the roof beams. The roof cone was completely redone, and the roof tiles were replaced in their entirety. The plaster moldings on the walls and ceilings were recovered because the first owner of the house kept the mouldings in a barbecue, which made it possible to use them in the restoration. The doorway was demolished and a new one built. The floor slabs, which were in very poor condition, were removed and new Carrara marble floors were laid.

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The house was originally built with sash windows, but these had at some point been replaced by French shutters. When construction work began and the French windows were removed, it was discovered that the original windows still existed, so it was decided to keep them.

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The staircase that leads to the upper floors was also demolished and completely rebuilt, although the original decorative element of the banister, made of bronze, was retained.

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The attic was repaired and furnished, removing the existing false ceiling to allow the original ceiling structure to be seen.

On one of its walls we can appreciate the mural " I know of a place with no name", created by the painter Juan Vicente Rodríguez Bonachea. What stands out most about the work are the shades of green, as it is inspired by this place. It should be noted that this house museum contains twenty-seven works by plastic artists, which has an additional added value.

The house as a whole is extraordinary, it offers us a space to recreate and delight ourselves with Cuban art. At the same time, it transports us back in time and gives us an idea of the beauty it must have had in the past. This place preserves its original beauty, thanks to the excellent restoration work carried out, which is why it is not surprising that in 2010 it was awarded the National Architecture Prize.

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As we toured it, each room seemed more beautiful than the last, and I couldn't help but marvel at each object I observed. The house is perfectly habitable, designed to be lived in. One of the things I loved about each room was the view of the city. From any window you could see the tunnel, the avenue and the Las Americas fountain, which welcomes us to the Miramar district.

We went down from the top floor to the first floor. On the ground floor are the dining room, the living room, the kitchen and a library. The first thing that catches our attention when we enter the dining room is the impressive glass table with twelve chairs, located in the center of the room. On the walls we can appreciate the works of the Cuban painter José Omar Torres.

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On entering the living room, I was surprised to find a grand piano. I had never seen one up close before, so I didn't miss the opportunity to take a picture next to it. Of all the rooms, this was my favourite. The two paintings by the painter Carlos Guzmán inspired by the memory of Luisa that were here left a slightly sad impression on me. Luisa looks young, beautiful and radiant in them, but her eyes are sad, and she doesn't look happy.

Not a single piece of furniture or ornament could be recovered from the house; almost everything that was here was sold by its owner in order to survive economically. She ended her days living in total poverty.

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Luisa's story

The House of Green Gables was bought in 1943 by the young and wealthy Luisa Rodriguez de Faxas, when she was only 20 years old. Here she married, saw the birth of her children and lived until the time of her death. Luisa was a woman of exceptional beauty and great wealth, who enjoyed all the luxuries of the time. However, the future was uncertain and her life was marked by misfortune.

At the end of 1959, together with her husband and children, she travelled to the United States on holiday. Unfortunately, during the trip, her husband died suddenly of a massive heart attack, leaving her a young widow. Luisa decided to return to Cuba with her husband's body to bury him in the family vault and take care of their property, leaving her children in the care of an aunt, with the intention of picking them up at a later date. However, after returning to Cuba she never saw them again.

This part of the story is not entirely clear, what is certain is that her friends and acquaintances left the country and she found it impossible to leave, remaining the sole owner and inhabitant of the House of Green Gables, with loneliness as her only companion. As time went by, she married again, but this marriage was brief and lasted only two years. The good thing about this union was that it would provide her with the person who would keep her company for the rest of her life. After a few years, when she was already an eldest woman, the niece of her second husband appeared in her life and decided to go and live with her, accompanying her until the end of her days and filling the void left by the separation of her children.

Luisa died in poverty, selling her jewellery and wealth to subsist. It is said that many people tried to buy her mansion, even the Cuban government offered her other homes in exchange for hers, but she never wanted to leave the place where she was happy and where she kept the best memories of her life. She lived and died here, and her only heir was her niece, who died just six months after Luisa's death. As there was no other heir to claim the property, the house passed into the hands of the City Historian's office, which was responsible for its subsequent restoration.

It is said that Luisa's ghost still inhabits the place. Several people have heard her and felt her presence. The director of the museum told us the story of several workers who have heard unexplained noises, doors and windows closing for no apparent reason, and there are even those who have seen her walking around the rooms.

🖤❤️🖤

This story and the visit to the place left me very impressed. I wanted to keep every detail in my memory, although I think it is impossible to retain so many interesting things at once. This is a place to visit more than one occasion.

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I hope you liked this post, I really enjoyed writing it.

Greetings, and see you next time!

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Blibiography
For more information about this House Museum you can visit the following link of the article of the Cuban newspaper Juventud Rebelde, written by the journalist Ciro Bianchi.

👉Juventud Rebelde

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