20 



THE CUBA REVIEW 



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III 



liuilding of the Commercial Exchange of Havana. 



The Havana Commercial Exchange. 



The inauguration of the beautiful and 

 stately edifice of the Lonja de Com- 

 ercio on San Francisco Square, on 

 March 28, was an impressive ceremony. 

 President Gomez, high government of- 

 ficials and a distinguished crowd of in- 

 vited guests, numbering hundreds, at- 

 tended. The foundations under the steel 

 columns were all made down to solid 

 rock, which in some cases was found at 

 a depth of 9 meters below the street 

 level and eight meters below the level 

 of the bay. In places it was necessary 

 to have five large steam pumps running 

 to keep the water down so that the ex- 

 cavation could go on and the concrete 

 be put in. The whole of the building is, 

 as far as modern engineering can make 

 it, proof against fire, earthquakes or 

 hurricanes, and equipped with every 

 modern plumbing fixture. The floors are 

 of reinforced concrete, as are the outside 

 walls of the building. The stone was 

 made in Havana with native workmen. 



All of the woodwork in the building is 

 of Cuban cedar and mahogany. 



Over 190,000 imported Spanish mosaic 

 tiles were used in the floors. 25,000 base 

 tiles around the walls were used. 



The five-story building covers 8,000 square 

 feet, or 2,400 square meters, and is said to 

 be one of the largest of its kind in the world, 

 except as to height, and in this respect Ha- 

 vana has not yet tried to imitate New York, 

 five stories being the limit of Havana's am- 

 bition so far. The dome is of a rich carmine 

 tint with a golden figure of Mercury on its 

 apex. The building is one in which the 

 city may justly take pride. Purdy & 

 Henderson were the contractors. 



The Hotel Inglaterra in Havana will soon 

 have two additional stories. The interior 

 will be practically rebuilt, and all modern 

 improvements added. The Sevilla is like- 

 wise undergoing important alterations, and 

 a new five-story steel frame fireproof hotel 

 is being built in San Lazaro street. 



