Aldama Palace Faces Imminent Collapse Amid Cuba's Heritage Neglect

The Aldama Palace, lauded as the most significant civil architectural achievement of Cuba's colonial era, is teetering on the brink of collapse, jeopardizing one of the nation's most vital collections of historical documents, as revealed by a report from elToque.

This neoclassical mansion, erected around 1840 and home to the Cuban Institute of History (IHC) since 1987, has suffered from decades of neglect that the socialist regime has either been unable or unwilling to address.

What was once a chronic state of disrepair has escalated into an acute crisis this year after a group of individuals stole 92 cedar beams from the building's roofs, bribing a night guard in the process.

"Earlier this year, there was a major theft: a group took 92 cedar beams from the mansion's roofs. This has placed the building in immediate danger of collapse, along with the very real threat of losing a significant portion of the extensive documentary collection," stated an IHC employee anonymously, fearing repercussions.

Workers identified the culprits as members of the team that demolished the Institute of Design (ISDI) building, which was torn down last March following years of similar decay and pillaging. Cedar beams, highly valued on the black market, can fetch up to 35,000 Cuban pesos each.

Historical Treasures at Stake

The stakes are higher than just the loss of a historic facade. The IHC houses over 60,000 volumes, including books, pamphlets, periodicals, and engravings, with complete collections from magazines like Bohemia and Carteles, as well as newspapers such as Diario de la Marina and Prensa Libre.

With the rainy season underway and hurricanes posing an ongoing threat, employees warn that debris could fall directly onto the document storage areas.

Employee-Led Efforts Amid State Inaction

In light of the government's inaction, employees have taken it upon themselves to organize night watches to safeguard the premises.

"They bribed one of the night guards, leaving the mansion—already plagued by structural issues—on the verge of collapse. For several months now, we've been conducting night watches to secure the area," another employee reported.

The institution's track record of neglect is extensive. In 2014, an inept renovation of the Teatro Mendoza—the mansion's former auditorium—resulted in a collapse a few years later, demolishing two levels of the Palace and destroying irreplaceable frescoes and interior decorations.

Unfulfilled Promises and Lost Opportunities

The IHC was supposed to relocate to facilities in the Cerro district, where the Communist Party's Transport Unit was previously located, but this move has yet to occur.

Meanwhile, the institution's website is down, its Facebook page hasn't seen updates since 2023, and its director, Rigoberto Santiesteban Reina, is nowhere to be found.

Historian Mildred de la Torre Molina voiced the academic community's outrage on social media: "Who will be held accountable for this cultural genocide? How long must we wait? Until the last pieces fall? And what about the library and document collection... don't they matter? It's a disgrace."

The plight of Aldama Palace is not an isolated incident but part of a systemic pattern of heritage destruction in Havana that the regime neither stops nor prevents.

The capital sees approximately 1,000 building collapses annually; by the end of 2025, 185,348 buildings were in disrepair, with collapses that year resulting in at least six fatalities.

Architect Abel Tablada recently criticized the regime for spending "hundreds of millions" on isolated hotels while urban heritage crumbles.

Historian Jorge R. Ibarra lamented, "So many missed opportunities to rehabilitate Aldama Palace. Hopefully, there's still time, but it's a miracle of architecture that's endured much neglect... and recently, a lot of vandalism exploiting that negligence to plunder this invaluable work."