Meyerson Hall B3
Cuba is an island nation with a rich architectural legacy, and historic preservation has long been potent public policy for motives of national identity, cultural pride, and economic development. The preservation movement in Cuba's capital city, Havana, initially focused on the historic colonial core as a draw for tourism and has only recently broadened to embrace the city's splendid modernist architecture.
This presentation will offer an overview of modern architecture in Havana from before and after the 1959 socialist revolution and the shifting—and highly politicized—attitudes toward its preservation. Case studies include elegant pre-revolution private residences, exuberant 1950s casino hotels, and radical avant-garde works from the revolutionary 1960s and 70s. The talk will conclude with a glimpse of the speaker's own Havana residence in a notable 1958 apartment building and the opportunities and obstacles faced in its renovation.
Belmont (Monty) Freeman, FAIA is the founding principal of Belmont Freeman Architects, an award-winning design firm in New York City. Since the establishment of his practice in 1986, Mr. Freeman has earned a wide reputation as an innovative designer, a progressive practitioner and a scholar. BFA has built work in North America, Europe, and Asia, for a wide variety of public, institutional and private clients. A prolific author, Mr. Freeman's essays and reviews have appeared in Places journal, Architectural Record, The Architects' Newspaper, and other publications. He holds a B.A. from Yale and an M.Arch degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Freeman has been an adjunct associate professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, where he taught a popular design studio within the Historic Preservation program. From 1997 to 2008 Monty was the President of Storefront for Art & Architecture, an internationally known not-for-profit design gallery in New York City, on which board he still sits. He has served on the Board of Governors of the Association of Yale Alumni and the Board of Directors of the Society of Architectural Historians.
An American of Cuban descent, Belmont Freeman has done extensive research, writing, and lecturing on Cuban architecture and culture, as well as leading numerous architectural tours of Cuba. Monty is currently renovating a mid-century modern home in Havana as a base for professional and family activities.
If you require any accessibility accommodation, such as live captioning, audio description, or a sign language interpreter, please email news@design.upenn.edu to let us know what you need. Please note, we require at least 48 hours’ notice. If you register within 48 hours of this event, we won’t be able to secure the appropriate accommodations.
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