Cuba is an island nation with a rich architectural legacy extending back five centuries. While the architecture of Old Havana is justly celebrated, equally remarkable but less widely known are the city’s splendid modernist buildings. The 92nd Street Y, New York, will host Belmont Freeman, FAIA, for this richly-illustrated online lecture, offering an overview of modern architecture in Havana from before and after the 1959 socialist revolution and exploring the shifting social, economic, and political context in which it was created. Featured buildings include elegant pre-revolution private residences, exuberant 1950s casino hotels, and radical avant-garde works from the revolutionary 1960s and 1970s. This course takes place live online and will be recorded for later viewing by those who register in advance.

Belmont "Monty" Freeman, FAIA, established his eponymous New York architecture firm in 1986. An American of Cuban descent, he is regarded as an expert on Cuban architecture, about which he speaks and writes widely.