Partagas Factory partially collapsed

Partagas Factory partially collapsed. The former Partagas Factory, a landmark in Havana, has partially collapsed. And that forces Caracol, the chain store that runs the La Casa del Habano, to suspend its activities in the building. That means that the La Casa del Habano is closed indefinitely.

Partagas Factory

The building, which is no longer in use as a cigar factory, is in bad shape. It has been for years. The bad shape of the building forced Cubatabaco to move the production to a new facility. Production stopped in 2011, a new location was opened in 2016. Money to renovate the building in its former glory is nowhere to be found in Cuba. 

Even though the production moved, the La Casa del Habano shop remained. The building continued to deteriorate. The risk of collapse was considerable, yet the store remained open. Fortunately, the collapse happened at the read of the building and nobody was hurt. That particular area of the building was abandoned due to the risk for a while.

Renovation

For over a decade there have been plans to repair or renovate the building. Several plans are launched. One of the original plans was restoring the building into former glory and resume cigar production. When that didn’t happen, the location was considered for a tobacco museum. Plans to turn the building into a hotel were launched. And the tobacco museum came in favor again. But none of these ideas came off the drawing table. No repairs were made. With the s collapse of the building as a sad result. 

It is sad to see this Cuban landmark of a building, with such a history, in this state. Let’s hope that somehow this iconic building can be restored and renovated. Maybe the idea of a hotel in such a historic building can convince an international hotel chain to invest some money. It would be sad if this building will be gone forever.