Havana Biltmore Yacht and Country Club

Last updated

Havana Biltmore Yacht and Country Club, now Club Havana, was an exclusive sports and country club in Havana, Cuba.

Early history

In 1911, the early foundation of the complex was established in the Miramar suburb of Playa, Havana, Cuba.

The main clubhouse of the complex was developed in the mid-to-late 1920s and established as the Havana Biltmore Yacht and Country Club by American hotelier John Bowman. [1] The architectural firm Moenck & Quintana carried out the design and construction process. [2] President Gerardo Machado laid the first stone of the center on February 1, 1927. It officially opened on February 1, 1928. [3] The beachfront property was managed by the Bowman-Biltmore company.

The country club was a hub for amateur sports and was frequented by wealthy Americans and Havana's elite. [4] Ernest Hemingway used to fish at the Biltmore Yacht Club. [5]

Following the winter of 1957, Miami-based company Polevitzky, Johnson and Associates was commissioned to redesign the original 1920s-era structure but the Cuban Revolution prevented it from ever being constructed. [6]

Due to errors in the land's original title, the Biltmore was confiscated on March 19, 1960, in the wake of the Cuban Revolution. Approximately 300 Americans were estimated to have lost their memberships and shares in the club when it was seized. [7] The club was converted into a public school owned by the Cuban government. [8]

In 1998, the establishment reopened as Club Havana. [9]

Related Research Articles

Bowman-Biltmore Hotels was a hotel chain created by the hotel magnate John McEntee Bowman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hotel Sevilla</span> Historic hotel in Havana, Cuba

The Sevilla Habana Affiliated by Meliá is a historic hotel in Havana, Cuba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miami Biltmore Hotel</span> United States historic place

The Miami Biltmore Hotel, commonly called TheBiltmore Hotel or The Biltmore, is a luxury hotel in Coral Gables, Florida. The hotel was designed by Schultze and Weaver and built in 1926 by John McEntee Bowman and George Merrick as part of the Biltmore hotel chain. The hotel's tower is inspired by the Giralda, the medieval tower of the cathedral of Seville.

Schultze & Weaver was an architecture firm established in New York City in 1921. The partners were Leonard Schultze and S. Fullerton Weaver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oriental Park Racetrack</span> Thoroughbred horse-racing facility in Cuba

Oriental Park Racetrack in Marianao, Havana, Cuba, was a thoroughbred horse-racing facility operated during the winter by the Havana-American Jockey Club of Cuba. Founded in 1915, Oriental Park was the only race track in Cuba before Fidel Castro came to power in 1959. It was closed February 5th, 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John McEntee Bowman</span> Canadian-American businessman

John McEntee Bowman was a Canadian-born businessman, American hotelier and horseman, and the founding president of Bowman-Biltmore Hotels Corp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Art Schools (Cuba)</span>

The National Art Schools of Cuba is one of the most important educational institutions of the Cuban nation and has been declared as "National Monument".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ricardo Porro</span> Cuban architect (1925 - 2014)

Ricardo Porro Hidalgo was a Cuban-born architect. He graduated in architecture from the Universidad de la Habana in 1949 and built this year his first project Villa Armenteros in Havana, following which he spent two years in post-graduate studies at the Institute of Urbanism at the Sorbonne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vittorio Garatti</span> Italian architect (1927–2023)

Vittorio Garatti was an Italian architect.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mario Romañach</span> Cuban architect

Mario Romañach (1917–1984) was a Cuban modernist architect, planner, and university professor.

Havana Yacht Club, now Julio Antonio Mella Social Club, was a prominent yacht and social club in Havana, Cuba.

Nicolás Quintana was a Cuban-born architect.

Nicolás Quintana was a Cuban-born architect and one of the frontrunners of modernist architecture in Cuba.

Miguel Ángel Moenck was a Cuban-born architect.

Frederick Snare was an American-born engineer and international construction contractor.

Moenck & Quintana, also known as Moenck y Quintana Arquitectos, was a architectural firm with headquarters in Havana, Cuba.

Polevitzky, Johnson and Associates was a architectural firm with headquarters in Miami, Florida.

Frank Martínez was a Cuban-born architect and a leading figure in Cuban modernist architecture.

Big Five Club is a Cuban-American social club in Miami, Florida.

La Concha Beach Club, also known as La Concha, was a beach bar, restaurant, and private club in Havana, Cuba.

References

  1. ↑ Phillips, R Hart (March 20, 2024). "Cuba Takes Over Big Private Club". The New York Times. Havana. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
  2. ↑ "Cuba's Vanishing Modernity: The Architecture of Nicolas Quintana (1925-2011)". docomomo-us.org. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
  3. ↑ "Habana Biltmore Yacht and Country Club, Havana, Cuba". archimages.uprrp.edu. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
  4. ↑ "Cuba's Vanishing Modernity: The Architecture of Nicolas Quintana (1925-2011)". cubanet.org. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
  5. ↑ "Splendor Amid Poverty: Gallery Nights With Cuba's Gilded Elite". theatlantic.com. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
  6. ↑ Moruzzi, P. (2008). Havana before Castro: when Cuba was a tropical playground. Salt Lake City, Utah, Gibbs Smith.
  7. ↑ "300 Lose Havana Club Shares | The New York Times, May 3, 1960, Page 10". nytimes.com. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
  8. ↑ "Cuba Takes Over Havana Yacht Club - Newspapers.com™". newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
  9. ↑ "New Freedoms in a More Open Cuba". theatlantic.com. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.