Tile We Meet Again

Most of Havana’s once stately buildings are decaying to varying degrees.  Whether built of limestone, cement or stucco, the marine environment combined with decades of neglect have taken their toll.  Crumbling facades, peeling paint, rusting iron and decaying wood mar most of these lovely structures, but each building’s character and former grace always seem to shine through, even when the exterior walls are all that’s left.  It makes for a somewhat surreal setting, and some neighborhoods have an almost postapocalyptic ambiance. At times I felt like I was walking through a movie set and not a real city.

One building material that has held up well over the years is ceramic tile.  The buildings that still had tile on their exterior had a vibrance that made them stand out among their faded neighbors.  The image above is a close-up of the tile veneer that lines the bottom of the building in the image below.  The entire building is actually one of the better preserved examples:  the glass is intact and all the shutters and doors close.  Even the iron bars covering the windows seems relatively rust-free.

The bright colors and patterns of the tiles brighten up even the darkest alley, and lend a cheerfulness to the otherwise-bland limestone facades.  They don’t build ‘em like this anymore…

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