Almacenes San José Mercado Artesanal

About this audio guide

This guide to the Almacenes San José Mercado Artesanal in Havana asks what its twenty-two iron naves were really built to carry, then follows Adolfo Sáenz Yáñez, the Cuban architect who designed them, shipping nearly three thousand tons of ironwork from the Cockerill foundries in Belgium and finishing the warehouse in eighteen eighty-five. You'll hear about his career on Havana's public works, his role under the American occupation, and how the building's original purpose disappeared along with Spanish rule. The guide traces what became of the warehouse across the twentieth century before it found its current life. Run your hand along a column as you listen for what the iron has seen.