2 votesVaradero, Cuba
Centro Comercial Hicacos
Due to decades of isolation, many of Cuba’s modernist buildings are conserved in their original state. Our aim now should be to not let the pressure of commercial progress ruin these reserves of modernist utopia.
With twenty kilometers of white sandy beaches, the city of Varadero has been a Cuban tourist destination since the late 19th century. Centro Comercial Hicacos, designed by Mario Girona and constructed in the 1960s, was designed to provide facilities to beachgoers—both foreign tourists and Cuban locals alike. Its original name, Park of 8,000 Lockers, referred to the use of the lower level where thousands of lockers for daily use were located. The gleaming white structure at street level contained bathrooms, restaurants, and other beach-oriented amenities. More recently, the building has been converted to a shopping mall and given its new name.
Submitted by @modernist_heaven