THE CUBA REVIEW An.l Bulletin. 



THE BEAUTIFUL NEW BUILDING OF THE NATIONAL BANK OF CUBA 



OFFICIALLY OPENED. 



Governor Magoon was among the invited 

 guests at the opening of the Xational Bank 

 of Cuba's new five-story steel and concrete 

 building at Obispo and Cuba streets on 

 August 31 last. Others were the leading 

 business men of the city, officials of the 

 Government and officers of the American 

 army. President \'aughn showed the visit- 

 ors through the building. There are prob- 

 ably few bank offices anywhere so com- 

 plete and convenient and so well adapted to 

 the transaction of business. There will be 

 exhibition days for some time to come as 

 invitation card^ have been sent to the 11.000 



hid at a inoment's notice in case of fire 

 from the heavy pumps which have been es- 

 tablished in the engine room. 



The building is of Corinthian architec- 

 ture, designed by a Cuban architect, Senor 

 Jose Toraya and built under his directions 

 by the contractors, Purdy & Henderson. 

 It is 85 feet high, 76 feet in ^vidth and 

 its depth on Cuba street is 121 feet. The 

 materials employed consisted of cement 

 and steel, marble and the beautiful Culjan 

 woods. The building is more than usual- 

 ly commodious and comfortable, the high 

 ctilinti-; making the interior pleasurably 

 cool. The furnishing and fit- 

 tings are of the highest order 

 and in thorough good taste. The 

 l)uilding has elevators and con- 

 venient rooms for tourists, wom- 

 en depositors and visitors. A 

 . picture of the front of the ed- 



■JX ifice appeared in the August is- 



'^■l sue of the Review. 



H.\V.\.\A CUSTOMS COU.ECTIONS. 



The collections of the Havana 

 Custnm House durinsj the pres- 



Tliis fiiclosuro has a base of line 

 whiti' Carrera marble. Separating tlie 

 (iiffi'it'iit ei.miiartmeuts are iiiartili' 

 (•(iliiLuns surniuunted liy Urniize and 

 glass globes. 



depositors of the bank and to 

 many others. 



The officers of the bank occu- 

 py the whole of the first floor, a 

 large and airy room with high 

 ceiling supported by huge steel 

 and concrete columns. 



Looking towards the comfort 

 of the employees the bank has 

 placed enough shower baths in 



A white 

 leads into 



the rear which may be used by are built of 

 the employees. In the rear of the 

 basement is the engine and dynamo room 

 which transforms the current from the 

 street for the use of the building and to run 

 the two electric elevators which have been 

 installed. 



The other four stories of the building 

 have been built to accommodate tenants. 

 The upper stories are reached by two elec- 

 tric elevators of the latest type and by mar- 

 ble staircases. A mailing chute, the first of 

 its kind in Cuba, has been installed. 



Standpipes with hose attached are to 

 be found on every floor, and water can be 



Can-.-ra marble staircase in the front of the room 

 the basement anil to the Safe Deposit Vaults, which 

 ;irm< r plate and concrete. 



ent month were $1,695,600.55. 



For the first si.x months of 1907 the 

 duties collected at the customhouse of the 

 port of Habana were $9,831,698, as com- 

 pared with $9,668,009 for the similar period 

 of 1906, in which there were no such 

 events as a changed government, strikes at 

 ports of destination of vessels, a practically 

 complete suspension of the manufacture of 

 cigars, and various other untoward inci- 

 dents. 



