The National Art Schools in Havana, Cuba were commissioned by Fidel Castro in 1959 to be the premier arts training institution for young Cuban and international artists. Five separate school buildings were designed by three renowned architects to blend with the lush tropical landscape. However, construction was halted in 1965 due to political and economic issues. Over decades the unfinished structures deteriorated from neglect. In the late 1990s restoration efforts gained momentum, and in 2003 the schools were added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, recognizing their cultural and architectural significance.

1. The National Art Schools
A PRELIMINARY CONSERVATION PLAN
FOR THE NATIONAL ART SCHOOLS
HAVANA, CUBA
Michelle Marshall
PR 601: Conservation of Modern Heritage
SP 16
Curving colonnaded paths of the Plastic Arts School (Photo: John Loomis)

2. Understanding the Place 3
Introduction and Use 3
Genesis 3
Concept 4
Site Plan 5
Sections 6
Plans 7
History of Decline 9
Significance 10
World Heritage Designation Process 13
Conservation Policy: Purpose & Explanation 19
Conservation Plan 20
Managing the Process of Change: Use, Approach & Review 20
Internal Processes 20
Modern Dance School 21
Plastic Arts School 22
Dramatic Arts School 23
School of Music 24
School of Ballet 25
Additional Conservation Proposal 25
Challenges to Conservation 26
Photos of Vegetation and Vandalism 27
References 28
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CONTENTS

3. Introduction and Use
Located on 66-hectares of lush tropical
grounds, Cuba’s National Art Schools sit
in the midst of one of the capital’s most
exclusive neighborhoods - an upper class
favorite before the revolution. (Zequeira) As
the manifestation of Utopian political ideals
for fostering social improvement, the insti-
tution was intended as the premier training
institute for young Cuban artists as well
as those from other developing countries.
(World Monuments Fund)
Gerardo Mosquera remarks that the realiza-
tion of the schools yielded “architecture as
singular and attractive as unknown”, (Loom-
is, Revolution of Forms, xxxvii) though the
project was never finished and could be
perceived as the first postmodern ruins.
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE
“Yet they arrived at this state by the crisis of a modern project, united in their contra-
dictions with it”, says Mosquera in his introduction to John Loomis book, Revolution of
Form. Once the playground of Havana’s wealthiest, the buildings were built to house the
Instituto Superior de Art in a time when Cuba’s influence reached far beyond its borders.
Genesis
After the revolution in 1959, Fidel Castro and Che Guevara attempted a round of golf
where the country’s most exclusive Country Club once stood and pondered aloud how
well suited the landscape would be for an art school. (Buds) He immediately commis-
sioned Ricardo Porro, a renowned Cuban Architect to accomplish this project in an
impossible window of time. Porro enlisted the help of Italian Architects, Roberto Gottardi
and Vittorio Garatti.
Together they imagined a unified design that danced through the landscape in five sep-
arate building complexes: The School of Plastic Arts and the School of Modern Dance
designed by Porro, The School of Dramatic Arts by Gottardi, and The School of Music
and the School of Ballet by Garatti. Only two of the five schools were fully realized at
its inauguration in 1965 and currently in use. A Cuban architectural student at the time
of construction recalls, “Due to the violent reaction generated during its erection, the
temple of the new faith “Las Escuelas Nacionales de Arte” was declared finished in its
unfinished state. (Loomis, Revolution of Forms) The other three were never completed,
but were sporadically used for other purposes. For example, the Ballet School accom-
modated the National School of Circus Arts for a short time, bringing with it drastic
changes to the structure. The building was then abandoned. (Zequeira) Their condition

4. is severely compromised at the present.
The school’s administration is housed in the former clubhouse and a Soviet prefabricat-
ed concrete building was erected as a dormitory in the center of the campus - a start
contrast to the winding series of Catalan vaults in local Cuban brick.
Concept
From the onset of the project, each of the architects was eager to contribute his part to
the revolution by “building these bastions of creativity. The projects became a paean to
the newfound creative freedom in the country.” (Nahimas) They would help satisfy polit-
ical goals by educating artists who would give socialism an aesthetic voice in Cuba and
the Third World as an experimental center for inter-cultural education and exchange.
Thus the architecture itself was to be unprecedented. (Loomis, Revolution of Forms, 2)
The architects agreed on three guiding principles for their designs: (1) Profound re-
spect for the extraordinary landscape of the country club grounds; (2) Employing locally
produced brick and terracotta tiles as the primary construction material (prompted by
us embargo that prevented the importation of steel and cement). Steel and concrete

5. were used only sparingly as they were more costly; and (3) Utilization of the Catalan
vault throughout as the structural system as employed by Antonin Gaudi in Barcelona.
(Loomis, CD). These guiding principles gave equal weight to architecture and nature in
the overarching design. (Zequeira)
The five schools were scattered at the perimeter, intentionally becoming one with the
natural environment. “Each school was designed not as a self-enclosing edifice but as a
city fragment.” (Nahimas)
Ricardo Porro was influenced by the architectural forms of his exile, though he rejected
influences that took him away from authentic Cubanism (Spanish influence, Le Corbus-
ier’s architecture as a machine, etc.) His previous travel to Mexico, where he met Luis
Barragan and witnessed modernism adapted to tropics, informed his architectural style.
The sinuous architectural forms of Carracas were also a factor. (Loomis, Revolution of
Forms, 25) The results, as applied to the National Art Schools, were organically inspired
sculptural forms. (Nahimas) John Loomis describes them vividly in Revolution of Forms:
UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE

7. Gottardi’s School of Dramatic Arts,
like the social construct of a theater
company, looks inward, creating an
intimate interiorized environment, con-
centrically organized and connected
by narrow alleyways.
School of Modern Dance - Ricardo Porro
School of Plastic Arts - Ricardo Porro
School of Dramatic Arts - Roberto Gottardi
Porro’s school of Modern Dance, sited
at the edge of a steep escarpment, is
angular, kinetic and softened in vol-
ume by curvy vaults.
The School of Plastic Arts celebrated
the country’s Afro-Cuban heritage
through a collection of pavilions that
read as an archetypal African village
connected by undulating covered pas-
sageways, the whole interpreting ne-
gritude in an entirely Cuban context.

8. School of Music - Vittorio Garatti
School of Ballet - Vittorio Garatti
Garatti’s school of music is a
330-meter-long serpentine struc-
ture that winds its way through
the landscape, culminating in an
embrace of a monumental Jaguey
tree, resplendent in roots that hang
from its branches.
Garatti’s school of Ballet, is a
composition of terracotta pavilions
and magnificent spaces that seem
to float in the dense verdant land-
scape. (Loomis, Castro’s Dream)
Its grandiose Catalan vaults
were made from locally sourced
materials and spanned great
widths for the School of Ballet;
(Nahimas)
With revolutionary Cuba’s material
shortages, the use of the Cata-
lan vault was a resourceful and
inspired decision. The resulting
organic shapes it made possible
would be the formal signature of
the National Art Schools. More-
over, the cultural significance of the
Catalan vault as a craft of Hispanic
and Mediterranean origins was
well understood by the architects
who sought an appropriate idiom
in which to develop their vision of a
revolutionary Cubanidad.

9. History of Decline:
Enthusiasm for the National Art Schools project had slowly waned after ground break-
ing and the frenzied pace of the project. With the growing influence of the Soviet Union,
Cuba began to trade its Utopian schemes for practical solutions. The winding forms
adopted by the architects stood in direct opposition to the repetitive rectilinear forms of
the new industrialized models. Negative perceptions were reinforced by the economic
hardship brought on by the October 1963 missile crisis. In 1965, construction officially
came to a halt, rendering the structures frozen in time and at the mercy of the elements
- natural and human. Conditions were (or became) as follows:
• Schools of Modern Dance and Plastic Arts were nearly complete
• School of Dramatic Arts dropped half of its original program
• School of Music plans for concert halls were cut
• School of Ballet construction terminated at 95% completion
• Architects charged with ideological crime of promoting “idealism, deviationism,
individualism, monumentalism, historicism, and a formalism driven by aesthetic
criteria rather than socialist rigor”. They were personally accused of being elitists
and cultural aristocrats. Their work was described as narcissistic and egocentric,
having bourgeois formations.
• Professors were forbidden to mention the schools in their classrooms
• Students were discouraged from visiting the schools
• The schools fell into various states of disrepair, neglect, vandalism
• Surrounding vegetation began to encroach on the unfinished structures and, in
some cases, completely overtook them by the 1980s
• Plots of plantains and corn erupted as the land was largely unguarded
• Herds of goats roamed the landscape (Loomis, Castro’s Dream)

10. The National Art Schools are unique representations of an “other” tradition in modernism
that rejects rationalism and embraces the organic. (Loomis, Castro’s Dream) But their
significance goes beyond just a category of architectural style. The architects and their
buildings paralleled the Cuban Revolution itself— from Utopian vision to tragic ruin, and
ultimately to an uncertain future. (Nahmias, Murray)
On the highest level, the schools embody the highest values of Cuban culture, express
the ethos of a particular historical movement, and provide inspiration for the generations
that follow - a much needed fuel for Cuba’s present challenges.
More specifically, they are understood to be the most impressive construction of the
Cuban Revolution, declared by Fidel Castro himself “la mas bella academia de artes en
el mundo” (the most beautiful art academy in the world). The story of the schools’ con-
struction itself is significant because their epitomization of the revolution’s socialist and
Utopian aspirations was “soon repudiated by the very institution they sought to cele-
brate.” (Loomis, Revolution of Forms, 28) Construction was then abandoned and the
buildings were left unfinished for nearly four decades, though some have been in use
since their inception. “The case of the Schools of Art is a good example of the ideolog-
ical extremism and repressive authoritarianism that accompanied the Cuban socialist
process from its origins...even more so, the schools are a sort of fossil of the ideo-aes-
thetic debate corresponding to another epoch.” (Loomis, Revolution of Forms, 31)
The architecture itself was exceptional as it speaks boldly of a Catalan regional identity.
Though each school was a one of a kind achievement, conceived with common material
and structural language (Loomis, Castro’s Dream), they all shared a common archi-
tectural theme. The architecture is visionary and unique in all the world, owing to the
influences of an Afro-Cuban heritage, Porro’s travels to Mexico and Argentina, and his
associations with Picasso, Wilfredo Lam and other Modernist characters. It is “outstand-
ing on the international level, thanks to the innovative concept of organic architecture in-
corporating buildings, city and landscape altogether in one unique ensemble. Moreover,
these schools represent the masterly culmination of the efforts developed in the country
during decades to merge tradition and modernity in a creative way.” (Zequeira)
It should not be overlooked that the projects were made almost exclusively of local ma-
terials - specifically the brick and terracotta. The resourcefulness itself and its ultimate
success is significant, despite some of the material failure.
The cultural significance of the buildings, a sort of living ruin, lies in their production
of “graduates who form part of the history of contemporary Cuban art and the schools
constitute a well-acknowledged set of Cuban architecture at an international level. Addi-
tionally, its faculty, during the 60s and 70s, was formed by outstanding Cuban and Latin
American artists and graduated the most representative artists of Cuban art. Given all
these reasons the schools are considered the most advanced example of an all-encom-
SIGNIFICANCE

11. passing and multidisciplinary pedagogical and artistic project.” (UNESCO)
According to the application submitted by Cuba’s Ministry of Culture to UNESCO in
February of 2003 for World Heritage status, The National Art Schools meet the following
criteria:
(i) to represent a masterpiece of human creative genius;
(ii) to exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or
within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology,
monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design;
(iii) to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a
civilization which is living or which has disappeared;
(iv) to be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or techno-
logical ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human
history;
(v) to be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or
sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction
with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact
of irreversible change; (UNESCO)

12. YEAR ACTION
1982 Young artists and architects disillusioned with Cuban socialism, began to criti-
cally discuss, opening up paths for re-evaluation of the art schools
1986 Gottardi commissioned to draw up plans for completion of schools
1989 Elmer Lopez (professor of Architecture) included schools in retrospective
exhibit
1991 Provocative exhibit called Arquitectura Joven is presented as part of the
Fourth Havana Bienial
1993 Sergio Baroni publishes a thoughtful and favorable account of all five schools
and their architects
Roberto Segre publishes much less critical article than any of his previous
writings on the schools
1994 School of Plastic Arts and School of Modern Dance hosts a part of the Ha-
vana International Bienial within its exhibition space which led to painting
and general clean up of the schools. First large group of international visitors
since the UIA congress in 1963.
1995 (April) National Union of Cuban Architects and Engineers hosts photography
exhibit of the schools featuring the work of New York photographer Hazel
Hankin
Art schools nominated for national landmark status, but not chosen because
they were too recent, according to the conservative judges
1996 Ricardo Porro is invited back to Cuba to give a series of lectures
Two New York architects, Noram Barbacci and Ricardo Zurita, prepare nom-
ination papers on behalf of he schools for the World Monuments Watch, but
Cuban officials would not sign off
Roberto Segre publishes an article portraying the schools in a positive light -
the first one with no criticisms
1997 Vittorio Garatti invited back to give a series of lectures
National Conservation Center conducts a preliminary study for the preserva-
tion and restoration of the schools
National Commission of Monuments declares the schools a protected zone
but rejects initiative to designate as national monument
1998 National Convention argues that Cuban architecture was one of most im-
portant vehicles of Cuban cultural value and deserved special attention and
protection
WORLD HERITAGE DESIGNATION PROCESS
The path toward World Heritage designation has been paved over the last 4 decades.
The table below attempts to capture many small, but significant, steps in that process:

13. YEAR ACTION
UNEAC Associate of Plastic Arts, Jose Villa leads discussion on the impor-
tance of National Art Schools
1999 Architect Jose Antonio Choy declares National Art Schools the most import-
ant architectural work of the Cuban Revolution
City Historian Eusebio Leal declares his support for the restoration of the
National Art Schools
Fidel Castro says the National Art Schools was a much beloved project from
his use and laments their decline. Declares they should be restored and com-
pleted
Ministry of Culture assumes responsibility for the project
John Loomis publishes “Revolution of Forms”
MAK Center in Los Angeles with support of Austrian Ministry of Culture pro-
duces exhibit on The National Art Schools in LA and New York
Symposium at Columbia University & Cooper Hewitt Museum brought togeth-
er NAS architects for the first time since 1965
Significant buzz about the schools in the media
Numerous articles appear in international papers and magazines
(November) National Council of the National Union of Cuban Writers and
Artists takes up the cause of the art schools
2000 Included on Word Monuments Fund’s List of 100 most endangered sites
which yields international support to ensure further international attention and
renders it eligible for support for their preservation
US government placed restrictions on funding restoration
Cuban government commits $20 million to the project
Ministry of Culture sets up center for project development (CIMC) with ded-
icated staff of 18 and in consultation with the three original architects who
have final decision making authority on restoration plans
2002 Significant progress is made in stabilizing the schools
2003 (February) Art Schools are added to UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List
2005 Some restoration work has been done on the five schools, administration
building and outdoor spaces;
2011 Revised edition of John Loomis book “Revolution of Forms” is published
2014 Ricardo Porro passes away in Paris
2016 Barack Obama makes first Presidential trip to visit Cuba since 1928 seeking
to open discussion about repairing relations between the two countries

14. The World Monuments Fund listing the National Arts School on their watch list of 100
Most Endangered Sites in 2000 and 2002 had significant impact on the progress of the
restoration of the site. After turning his back on the project he dreamed, Fidel Castro re-
claimed the Arts School and the original architects, who were presented with the oppor-
tunity to finish their masterpiece. (Nahimas, Murray) The United States’ trade embargo
against Cuba made funding near impossible for the restoration projects, leaving them
to await an international organization willing to be a conduit for funds. (Buds) Neverthe-
less, momentum has been gathering for their restoration, completion, and reestablish-
ment as important monuments in Cuban architectural history. (Mumford)
Ricardo Porro’s death in 2014 happened 8 days after President Obama announced the
thawing of the diplomatic relations between the USA and Cuba, and 3 months before
the inauguration of the MOMA exhibit “Latin America in Construction: Architecture 1955–
1980,” which featured the National Schools of Art among the most significant examples
of modern architecture in the region. “Porro’s visionary work on the National Schools of
Modern Dance and Plastic Arts in Havana is a fitting legacy to his contributions to the
field, and together with the work of Garatti and Gottardi, deserve to be preserved for fu-
ture generations. It is our hope that the improved relations between the USA and Cuba
will eventually lead to the lifting of the economic embargo and before it is too late, allow
the international preservation community to rally behind the preservation of the National
Schools of Art and their inscription as a World Heritage Site.” (Barbacci)
The current restoration project, launched by Cuba’s national Ministry of Culture in 2000
made some headway in stabilizing the site, but was very limited in its scope and bound-
ed by the country’s economic capacity. Some of the restoration that has been carried
out thus far has been controversial, but regarded as highly positive because it has
prevented further deterioration in some areas. According to Maria Elena Martin Zequeira
in her Do_co,mo.mo. article, “The National Art Schools of Havana” in September 2005,
the project proceeded as follows:
PLAN/POLICY: The plan is to preserve the buildings’ architectural image; to
restore or rebuild, depending on their state, the damaged parts, using materials
and construction techniques similar to those originally used; to fit out the build-
ings’ interiors to current needs; to complete the unfinished construction if possi-
ble and to enlarge the complex in order to fulfill new requirements.
DISCLAIMER: During the first years, the schools were built in such a frenzy
that construction occurred without always taking much heed of the project’s
specific plans: detailed plans were actually realized during the construction, and
even then not necessarily respected.
SCOPE OF COMPLETED RESTORATION:
• Some work has already been done on the five schools, administration build-
ing and outdoor spaces.
• Plants that had grown out of control, sometimes even on rooftops, were

15. removed because they were a hindrance to the full appreciation of the build-
ings’ state and also a hazard to the buildings.
• Concrete paths, pedestrian and automobile bridges were built to connect
the different functions of the complex; to monitor access to the campus,
an enclosing hedge/wall was implemented, incorporating a keeper’s hut at
every school entry.
• A project for the extensive lighting of the exterior areas was also carried out.
• The Quibú, a low-flow river that cuts through the grounds and represents
a real danger of contamination and flooding during the rainy season, will
soon be the subject of a development plan implementing safety and security
measures
• Plastic Arts and Modern Dance Schools were executed in agreement
with Ricardo Porro, the project’s original architect.
• Cleaning up and removal of fungus and of other agents damaging
the building materials
• Rebuilding damaged water sprouts and joints between bricks or
pavements
• Replacing terracotta floor and roof tiles
• Special products were used to treat the terracotta, allowing the tiles
to recover their initial characteristics while also protecting them
• Expansion joints were implemented on the buildings’ roofs and in
the vaulted galleries
• All the roof structures, originally timber frames, were replaced with
aluminum frames, also built according to the initial design.
• Modern Dance School
• Damaged materials are currently being replaced with other similar
materials
• Identically designed steel frames replace the original timber frame
• The library will be converted into a student cafeteria
• The theater’s acoustics, which had not been realized during its con-
struction, are currently being implemented
• The four large rehearsal rooms are carefully restored and the result is
already highly satisfactory.
• Music Schools built part, designed by Garatti and known as the ‘worm’
owing to its 330-meter length and sinuous shape, The project’s conception,
based on exposed materials and on a vaulted roofing, makes the acoustic
treatment of rehearsal rooms difficult. Today, the current requirements for
music studies make the two theaters initially planned, respectively for sym-
phonic and chamber music, redundant.
• Therefore, and despite the awesome beauty of the school’s architec-
tural design, some specialists insist on the fact that it is impossible to
use the building as primarily intended.
• The prevailing stance of the rehabilitation team’s Cuban part is to
restore only the covering vaults, greatly damaged in several places,
and to adjust the building’s layout to the requirements (classrooms

16. and dormitories) of the National Center of Advanced Artistic Studies
[Centro Nacional de Superación de la Enseñanza Artística). Accord-
ing to this proposition, the prefabricated block erected in the 19ó0s
to accommodate students would be permanently transformed and
turned into a music school, and a new residence housing between
200 and 300 students should be built.
• The Ballet School, also designed by Garatti and almost completely fin-
ished, was left vacant for a long time, no alternative use having been as-
signed to the building.
• The plants were removed to avoid further damage on the remaining
structural elements, joinery and other materials
• The missing parts will be replaced
• Studies will be led to determine a new proposition for its future func-
tion as a top level modern dance school.
• The Dramatic Arts School, only half constructed, allowed for a big central
theater that was never built, around which classrooms should have gathered
• As of 2005, Gottardi was drawing the school’s new layout with con-
cepts and ideas that differ from his first project. According to him,
given that many years have elapsed since the original concept, and
that circumstances and requirements have changed, the project is
necessarily different.
• Although complicated, a new brief was developed, but some
disagreement remained between the designer and the building spon-
sors concerning the theater’s size and nature, the budget needed to
appropriately fulfill the requirements of the brief, and the solutions
and materials suggested by Gottardi in his new project. An agree-
ment was nevertheless found, and hopefully, providing another forty
years don’t go by, the project will soon be carried out and the works
to complete the school will commence.
• A multi-million budget and a period of ten years are planned to
finish the restoration and re-fitting of the five schools
Throughout this process, the Ministry of Culture has wisely led a patient search
for skilled workers and provided special training to replicate the craftsmanship
used at the schools that had nearly disappeared from the country. Efforts have
also been made to manufacture materials similar to those initially used. The
team led by Universo García, has been diligently overseeing the process.

17. The conservation plan, as written today, subscribes to the policies and guidance of all
Charters and Published Statements as much as it subscribes to none of them. Where
the Burra Charter advocates the value to future generations, this conservation policy
is in agreement. The policy of this conservation plan attempts to honor the wishes of
Cuban Nationals who have sought to thoroughly understand and capture the spirit and
intent of Ricardo Porro, Roberto Garatti and Vittorio Gottardi, working in tandem with
them, even up until Porro’s passing in 2014. The architect’s voices in this process are
invaluable resources. In this way, the Secretary of the Interior is followed as authenticity
is preferred.
Fidel Castro himself said, “This is what for me is most important: that this work is built
as I still remember it.” (Loomis, Revolution of Forms, 34) Regardless of his rejection of
the work just a few years later, he has remembered his initial vision and acknowledged
the outstanding beauty of the schools and the importance of seeing them to completion
as they were imagined. The conservation policy also follows the Helsinki statement in
the understanding that memory should play a role, but that research should be a priori-
ty and that architectural forms are valued also for their social, cultural, anthropological,
political and economic contributions to a city or country - all of which are encompassed
in The National Art Schools.
Conservation efforts to date have been thoughtful and should be continued as such.
Some controversial decisions, not yet carried out, warrant further discussion. For exam-
ple, those that seem out of sync with the original intention for the character and quality
of the site, such as substituting aluminum for original timber framing on some structures.
Another potential misstep is the plan to move the music school programming to the
prefabricated block that interrupts the landscape so severely. (Zequeira) In general, the
policy echoes Mario Coyula, architect in charge of preservation in Havana, who said “In
most cases, architecture must adapt itself to human need, but in cases of exceptional
works of architecture, human need should adapt itself to architecture.”
The overall purpose of this plan seeks to:
1. Bring continued international attention to the restoration and conservation of
The National Art Schools - perhaps to open avenues of funding the could see
this project to completion. “If funding and enthusiasm were to support it, many
of the ruins could be easily improved and revived, fulfilling the architect’s origi-
nal dreams and serving many more deserving students.” (Prichard, 2015)
2. To serve as an example of different conservation practices and methods as a
showcase of Historic Preservation techniques.
3. To educate future generations of Cubans and conservationists on the impor-
tance of looking to architectural history when interrupting an architectural site,
whether or not it is acknowledged officially as such.
CONSERVATION POLICY: PURPOSE & EXPLANATION

18. CONSERVATION PLAN
Managing the Process of change: Use, approach & review
As much as possible use should reflect the original intent of the architects - each indi-
vidual schools being used for the purpose specified in their name.
Internal Processes
• Ministry of Culture shall oversee the programming and design of the five schools
with maximum input from the director of each individual school and approved by the
President of the National Art Schools.
• Changes to usage through the years should be minimal with all changes going
through the Ministry of Culture. Any major shifts in usage should be thoroughly re-
searched and discussed by all involved parties.
• This plan of oversight and usage should be revisited every 10 years, as needed, to
ensure relevance to current needs of the school, but all efforts should be made to
maintain the original intent for programming and usage.

19. MODERN DANCE SCHOOL - Architect: Ricardo Porro
Original Design Principles
• Forms determined through a specialized symbolic representation
• Engaged issues of gender and culture
• Sensuality of the tropics
• Architecta Negra - architypal African village
Present state: critical
• Considered complete as originally envisioned, some interior work remains unfinished
• Utilized today, but haphazardly maintained
• Damaged materials are being replaced with similar materials
• Identically designed steel frames replaced original timber frame
• Expansion joints implemented on roofs and vaulted galleries
• Timber roof structures replaced with aluminum frames
• Plans to convert library into a student cafeteria
• The theater’s planned acoustics are currently being implemented
• The four large rehearsal rooms are carefully restored
• Plants removed on remaining structural elements, joinery and other materials
• The missing parts will be replaced
• Research planned to propose future function as top level modern dance school.
Approach
• Restore with similar updated materials - do not complete unfinished interiors
Care and housekeeping
• Protect, replace and maintain brick on a regular basis using original techniques, if
possible, but superior materials (matching) as necessary
• Shape and character of all Catalan vaults should be maintained
• Exposed natural terracotta should be protected and maintained
• Reinforced concrete frame for the domes incorporating it into planters
• Reinforce and waterproof planters in order to be replanted.
• Thick rustic stucco should be maintained.
• Regularly maintain plants and planters, preventing leaks
School of Modern Dance under construction, 1960s. (Photo: Paolo Gasparini) Cupola interior, School of Modern Dance. (Photo: John Loomis)

20. PLASTIC ARTS SCHOOL -- Architect: Ricardo Porro
Original Design Principles
• Forms determined through a specialized symbolic representation
• Engaged issues of gender and culture
• Sensuality of the tropics
• Architecta Negra - architypal African village
• Oval studios and central skylights are the basic cell of the complex
Present state: dire
• Utilized today, but haphazardly maintained
• Moisture accumulation and humidity exposure due to water capillaries
• Cleaning and removal of fungus and of other damaging agents the building materials
• Rebuilt damaged water sprouts and joints between brick pavement
• Replaced terracotta floor and roof tiles
• Treated terracotta to protect and recover original characteristics
Approach
• Restore in original materials only
Care and housekeeping
• Protect, replace and maintain brick on a regular basis using original techniques
• Regularly clean and remove fungus and other damaging agents
• Maintain water spouts and brick pavement joints
• Shape and character of all Catalan vaults should be maintained
• Exposed natural terracotta should be regularly protected and maintained
• Minimize humidity exposure with new technology without harming original materials
• Replace new materials with original materials made with same techniques
Aerial view, Schoo/l of Plastic Arts, 1965. (Photo: Paolo Gasparini) Main patio and papaya fountain. (Photo: Dieter Janssen)

21. THE DRAMATIC ARTS SCHOOL - Architect: Vittorio Gottardi
Original Design Principles
• Urban concept: compact, axial, cellular plan around central courtyard amphitheater
• Intended to be comprised of 3 units - each organized around open courts and con-
nected to each other by the landscaped terraces stepping down to meet the river
Turns its back on landscape and looks inward
• Program is extensive, complicated and without clear precedents
• Intimate relationship between program and process
• Program as both subject and object of design
The present state
• Used as planned since 1965, but only half constructed
• Poorly maintained, with one section in ruins
• What is built (classrooms surrounding courtyard amphitheater) Holds together re-
markably well because of strength and integrity of scheme
• As of 2005, Gottardi was drawing the school’s new layout with concepts and
ideas that differ from his first project. According to him, given that many years
have elapsed since the original concept, and that circumstances and require-
ments have changed, the project is necessarily different
• Although complicated, a new brief was developed, but some disagreement
remained between the designer and the building sponsors
Approach
• Living Ruin - Build new around old to “finish” structure School of Dramatic Arts,
while differentiating completely between the two constructions - emphasis should be
placed on the “ruins”. New construction should be starkly different while honoring
programmatic and design intention.
• Construct new central theater with new design
• Construct classrooms to surround central theater with new design
• Complete library and cafeteria with new design
• Construct Storage facilities
Care and housekeeping
• See previous schools for maintenance in addition to new construction
Abandoned Construction, 1997.
(Photo: Alberto Figueroa)
Pylons for Unbuilt Theater, 1992.
(Photo: John A. Loomis)

22. SCHOOL OF MUSIC - Architect: Roberto Garatti
Original Design Principles
• Architecture is integral with landscape; character of terrain informs the design
• 330 meter serpentine ribbon traverses the contours of the landscape almost touch-
ing the river at both its head and tail
• Undulating tubes covered by Catalan vaults
The present state
• Only ⅓ of constructed school is used - remainder abandoned and left to ruin
• Structure has been affected by the moisture because of proximity to the river
• Covering vaults have been greatly damaged in several places,
Approach
• Build/finish construction as intended by architect (to include concert hall, administra-
tive services, classrooms, dormitories)
• Allow for minor adjustments made to accommodate programming requirements
• Allow for additions that don’t interfere or distract from original concept
• Original architect should approve plans to ensure that it reflects original design intent
Care and housekeeping
• Repair and protect vault materials
• Protect all surfaces from moisture with necessary regular maintenance
• Ensure waterproofing of roof planters and
• Mold and fungus should be regularly cleaned from all surfaces
• Adjust plan to accommodate current needs for symphonic and chamber music
theaters; with as little intervention as possible, but as much as needed.
• Regularly clear and trim encroaching vegetation, but not to the extent that it sep-
arates the building from the surrounding landscape.
Abandoned Classroom designed with built in seating. (Photo: John Loomis)Curving colonnaded paths of the Plastic Arts School (Photo: John Loomis)

23. SCHOOL OF BALLET - Architect: Roberto Garatti
Original Design Principles
• Submerged concept that was realized through natural vegetative growth
• Pavilions with Cupolas and convex lateral walls collected dancer’s movements
• Dynamic design as a vision for the future of Cuba - expressing freedom - open in all
directions where you could come and go as you wished
• Articulated by cluster of domes, connected by organic layering of Catalan vaults
• Essence is found in the spatial experience of choreographed volumes that move
with the descending ravine
• Roofs are incorporated into the path
• Architectura Criolla from Trinidad where medio puntos (wooden louvers) fanning out
in a half circle, in the arches of the cupolas to modulate light
• Architecture of the garden rooted in Moorish, Spanish and Sicilian traditions
The present state
• 90% complete, but left vacant for a long time, no alternative use assigned
• Vandalism claimed the loss of nearly all the carpentry and other materials
• Overcome by the exuberant vegetation that surrounded it
Approach
• Complete repair and restoration process, identifying new vs. old materials
Care and housekeeping
• Site should be immediately secured and guarded so no further vandalism occurs
• Immediate supervision is needed for site maintenance
• Regular water channel maintenance to clear paths and prevent flooding
• Waterproofing and dehumidifying system installed
• Regularly trim vegetation so it does not interfere with light penetration into vaults
• Repair, replace and protect brick and terracotta pieces

24. ADDITIONAL CONSERVATION PROPOSAL
Though the five schools are the intended extent of the school, two other buildings on
the premises are in question: (1) the building that housed the Country Club and which
preexisted the schools, and (2) the 1979 Soviet style prefab concrete dormitories, which
currently disrupt the architectural integrity of the design for the National Art Schools.
Because these buildings are a part of the story, both pre- and post-revolution, the repre-
sent human activity. Furthermore, the essence of this project was largely political, rep-
resenting a Utopian socialist agenda and hope for Cuba’s political future. The Country
Club building speaks to pre-revolutionary politics and lifestyle while the concrete dormi-
tory symbolizes the deviation from those Utopian ideas to rigid Soviet ideals.
Therefore, it is recommended that the two buildings remain on the site and be used as
an educational opportunity for the revolutionary history and ideals of Cuba and a tangi-
ble lesson in the various theories of Preservation and Conservation. The Country Club
building should, thus, be restored to full function and serve as a Revolutionary Museum
of Art and Architecture along with administrative offices for the art schools. The Con-
crete structure Soviet prefab dorms would then serve as an information and education
center for preservation of art and architecture and the lessons that history has taught.

25. The conservation plan for the National Art Schools is not without the challenges that
all conservation plans face, not the least of which includes the changing economies,
modernization, and development. But the lofty goal of bringing cultural literacy to Cuba
after the revolution is a noble one. Awareness of the challenges allows for some level of
preparation.
This list, though not exhaustive, represents several known challenges:
• Several Cuban architects and cultural figures may still see this as anti-Socialist
• Complex project and client interests that are not always in alignment
• Halting deterioration is far from complete
• Not all architects agree over the extent of vegetation removal
• Concerns about placement, design and integration of roads, parking, paths, lighting
and flood control interventions which are responding more to immediate pragmatics
than to overall design concept
• CIMC working to address pragmatic and functional issues presented by current con-
ditions of the schools, but the process has been reactive (not proactive)
• Programmatic and use changes requested by individual client faculties must be con-
sidered with care so as not to violate original architecture
• Possibility that focus on the individual parts may lose the whole in the process (In-
tention: landscape as unifier and common brick and tile Catalan vault construction)
• Years of neglect have left only traces of the original landscape
• Nature has intervened spontaneously, often in beautiful ways, often destructive ways
• Humans have intervened with ill-conceived agricultural cultivation
• Country club site is now thought of as a park which can invite many different inter-
ests and causing a constant struggle to maintain the integrity of the landscape.
• Ancillary buildings that have nothing to do with the original concept and new plans
may be giving these buildings more consideration than they deserve
• Uniting interests as it is now an internationally renowned piece of architecture
• Ministry of Culture is slow to respond to offers for technical and financial assistance
• Rumors of plans to restore golf club for tourists and turn the schools into restaurants,
bars and other facilities for the leisure activities of dollar paying foreigners.
• Imminent danger of tourism influx from USA. Interests of developers in light of Cu-
ba’s financial needs may prove too tempting for Cuban leaders as the old regime
slowly fades. (Loomis, CD)
Though the road to restoration seems daunting, the tides are turning in favor of the
completion of the National Art Schools. Half a century later, this fantastically unique
architectural wonder deserves all the recognition it is getting and much more. It remains
to be seen if the momentum will continue, but while it is strong, it is advisable to push
for UNESCO World Heritage status, which could help Cuba overcome its financial diffi-
culties and give Ricardo Porro, Roberto Garatti and Vittorio Gottardi’s masterpiece the
official honor and protection it undoubtedly deserves.
CHALLENGES TO CONSERVATION

27. “ARQUITECTURA CUBA: Las Escuelas Nacionales De Arte En 1965.” ARQUITECTU-
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escuelas nacionales de arte.
Barbacci, Norma. “In Memoriam: Ricardo Porro.” World Monuments Fund. January 06,
2015. https://www.wmf.org/blog/memoriam-ricardo-porro.
Buds, Diana. “The “Unfinished Spaces” of Cuba.” Dwell. September 01, 2011. http://
www.dwell.com/house-tours/article/unfinished-spaces-cuba#4.
Consuegra, Hugo. “Las Escuelas Nacionales De Arte.” Arquitectura Cuba 334 (June 10,
2011): 14-25. https://www.scribd.com/doc/57521770/La-Escuelas-Nacionales-de-Ar-
te-en-1965.
Davidson, Justin. “Young and Defenseless.” World Monuments Fund. Fall 2004. https://
www.wmf.org/publication/young-and-defenseless.
“Latin American Modernism at Risk.” World Monuments Fund. May 08, 2015. https://
www.wmf.org/blog/latin-american-modernism-risk.
Loomis, John A. “Castro’s Dream.” World Monuments Fund. Winter 2002/2003. https://
www.wmf.org/publication/castros-dream.
Loomis, John A. Revolution of Forms: Cuba’s Forgotten Art Schools. New York: Prince-
ton Architectural Press, 2011.
Nahmias, Alysa, and Benjamin Murray. “Cuban Architect Ricardo Porro Attends the
Opening of Unfinished Spaces at the Architecture & Design Film Festival in New
York City.” World Monuments Fund. November 03, 2011. https://www.wmf.org/blog/
cuban-architect-ricardo-porro-attends-opening-unfinished-spaces-architecture-de-
sign-film.
“National Art Schools.” World Monuments Fund. Accessed March 03, 2016. https://www.
wmf.org/project/national-art-schools.
“National Schools of Art, Cubanacán.” - UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Accessed
April 27, 2016. http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1798/.
Prichard, Laura Stanfield. “A Tale of Two Cuban Universities: Part II - The Boston Musi-
cal Intelligencer.” The Boston Musical Intelligencer. November 02, 2015. http://www.
classical-scene.com/2015/11/02/cuban-universities-part-two/.
Zequeira, Maria Elena Martin. “The National Art Schools of Havana.” Docomomo 33
(September 2005): 20-26.
**Aerial photos and photos of school of ballet vegetation from: http://tomitronics.com/
habana/artschool.html
REFERENCES