The U. S. Government purchased a residence in Havana for the ambassador to Cuba in 1916. By 1928, the neighborhood of the embassy residence was considered too undesirable for the diplomat and the ambassador began renting in city. In 1938, Director of the Foreign Building Operations, Fritz Larkin explored purchasing two new sites for diplomatic services in Havana but was prevented by legal restrictions. By 1945 the legal restrictions were lifted allowing him to sell the undesirable site of the first residence by 1952. Larkin was able to purchase a prominent seaside site for the embassy among modern apartment housing developments in an area of large investment by the Cuban Government. After the success of the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, Leland King of the Foreign Buildings Operations (FBO) commissioned the firm Harrison and Abramovitz to design two new embassy buildings in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Havana, Cuba. In the United States’ postwar dominancy, the modern design of these new embassy buildings was described as a way for the United States to export the best architecture the country had to offer. An article in Progressive Architecture in 1953 entitled “U.S Architecture Abroad” described that through its embassies, the FBO was “displaying to the rest of the world a colorful picture of a young, progressive and modern-minded America.”

The building was renovated in 1997 by the Department of State. The details and extent of the renovation are unclear.

The building currently houses the U.S. Interests Section in Cuba.

The building is occupied. Otherwise the condition of the building is undetermined.

The former U. S. Embassy Office Building in Havana, Cuba consists of a seven story rectangular office block that rises above a low, sprawling first floor. The building is set on a terrace three to five feet above the street level for protection against potential storm surges. The building is faced with travertine and green heat-resistant glass. The building was designed for air conditioning but the windows of the office tower have an operable sash for ventilation. The ground floor level windows have a travertine grill to screen the offices from sun and ocean spray. The property walls of the site are faced with a pink-gray native coral called jaimanitas. The layout of the building was originally designed for the first floor to serve the public functions of the embassy with more sensitive administrative tasks occurring in the tower where vertical access is easily controlled. The original interior furnishing is by Knoll Associates and bright colors of blue-green, yellow and persimmon in contrast to white surfaces to reflect vibrant Cuban color schemes. Fidel Castro ordered the building to be confiscated when the United States severed diplomatic contact in 1963 yet United States maintained possession of the building. The building was re-opened in 1977 as a building for the U. S. Interests Section in Cuba.

While working on the U. S. embassy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (1948-52), Harrison and Abramovitz began work on the embassy building in Havana in 1950. The building was completed in 1952 and opened in 1953 (United States Interests Section Havana, Cuba). Much of the building’s materials came from abroad, as it was largely financed utilizing post-war credits. The travertine came from Italy, steel from Belgium, concrete and furnishings from France, and elevator equipment and office partitions from England. Overall foreign credits paid for roughly 30 percent of the building’s cost.

The embassy building was originally constructed in an oceanfront area of Havana among contemporary modern apartment complexes. The site was desirable as the Cuban government was investing heavily in parks and amenities in the growing fashionable area.

The building utilizes reinforced concrete slabs to span the 40’ width of the building to create a column free interior space within the office tower. The columns on the perimeter of the tower are 10” x 24” and spaced 5” on center. The building is designed with an air conditioning systems but is sited along a north-south access and equipped with movable sash windows to take advantage of the west-east ocean breezes. The windows are made with blue-green heat resistant glass to reflect solar heat and were equipped with Venetian blinds to assist in blocking the sun inside the offices.

The building represents a short period of post-war relations with Cuba. When it opened its doors in 1953, it was looked upon favorably by both the United States and Cuban government. When the site of the embassy was chosen, the area of Havana where it was located saw heavy investment in amenities by the Cuban government to attract development. By 1963, just a decade later, the building’s function as an embassy ceased and the building’s future was in peril. As it was reopened in 1977, the embassy has managed to remain standing and in the possession of the United States. As diplomatic tensions gradually ease between the United States and Cuba, the building becomes more relevant as a representation of United States diplomacy abroad.

The modern design of the Havana embassy was intended to represent the United States as a forward looking and progressive nation. The use of a clean modern aesthetic in the international style, along with foreign materials and materials native to Cuba, this building is representative of the United States diplomatic mission. The incorporation of a progressive, ahistorical style with international appeal corresponds to a post-war society where international bodies like the United Nations seek to unite different nations. Although while the United States wanted to appear forward-thinking with the design of modern embassies, the Havana building was constructed in the midst of other modern apartment buildings and was in keeping with design of its contemporary surroundings.

The Harrison and Abramovitz designed embassies in Rio de Janeiro and Havana are the first two true modern embassies built by the United States. This embassy represents the United States emergence as a military and diplomatic superpower after World War II. When considered along with the United Nations complex, the Rio de Janeiro embassy and the later Headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency, the embassy in Havana embodies the prominence of Harrison and Abramovitz in designing specifically American buildings. Because of their involvement with the FBO and other government projects, the work at Havana is truly representative of how the government wanted to be portrayed through architecture abroad.

As an early example of a modern U. S. embassy, the Havana embassy is significant in understanding the nation’s self-portrayal following World War II. The appeasing modern design and use of international materials is representative of international cooperation. As a work by Harrison and Abramovitz during a period where the firm designed prominent buildings for the U. S. Governement, the building is a fine example of exported American architecture. Yet while the modern design was appealing and the building tailored to its environs, the building did not perform well in the Havana climate. Even while the architects determined that the reflective glass and cross ventilation would be adequate in cooling the building without fins or shades, the building’s air conditioning system was deemed inadequate. The ambassador’s balcony seems representative of the time period as attacks on U. S. embassies would later dictate that the location of the ambassador’s office should not be plainly visible.

“U.S. Architecture Abroad.” Architectural Forum 98. (March 1953): 101-115.“Embassy Office Building.” Progressive Architecture 32. (October 1951): 15-16.“U.S. Embassy Office Building, Havana, Cuba.” Progressive Architecture 117. (April 1955): 106-111.“Embassy Rooms.” Progressive Architecture 117. (April 1955): 132-137.Loeffler, Jane C. The Architecture of Diplomacy: Building America’s Embassies. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1998.Gray, Christopher. \"Havana's New York Accent." New York Times (March 18 2012): 6(L). Business Insights: Essentials. Web. 10 February 2013United States Interests Section Havana, Cuba. Web. 25 January 2013