Tropicana

Description

Tropicana is a cabaret or nightclub that dates back to 1939 but had its most significant period after the expansion of the original house, already converted into a club, through the addition, between 1951 and 1956, of new lounges and service areas.

It was first a two-story house built in 1909 as part of a recreational property, a typical model of some areas of the city of Havana characterized by the presence of abundant vegetation. The renovation and extension of the site for its conversion into a cabaret took place in 1939 and shortly after it received the name of Tropicana.

During the 1950s, the works that made it an exceptional example of modern architecture were carried out. The National Association of Architects of Cuba gave the Gold Medal Award of 1953 to the expansion and remodelling works of the Cabaret carried out by the architect Max Borges Recio, based on the masterful combination of architectural, structural, and landscape elements in the conception of the Arcos de Cristal and Bajo las Estrellas Halls.

The Arcos de Cristal Hall (1951) is made up of a system of five thin concrete vaults placed eccentrically and decreasing in size, which produces a telescopic effect that directs the space towards the orchestra area. Nature is present in the room through the glass that closes, in the form of arches, the spaces between the vaults.1 The adjoining room, Bajo las Estrellas (1952) is outdoors, so it is fully integrated into the exuberant nature, which constitutes an exceptional setting for the musical spectacle.

Justification of Outstanding Universal Value

The Tropicana Nightclub transformed and created the bases for Cuban musical culture to be known in the contemporary world, and became one of the most important centres for the dissemination of show art in the Americas.

Tropicana has been internationally recognized for its significance in the history of popular music, and fabulous architectural attributes that made it a model to follow in the design of buildings for leisure purposes. The different spaces of the cabaret constitute exceptional examples of the relationship between the architectural space, the natural environment, and the artistic spectacle.

It is a work that has been able to give a framework that responds to the Modern Movement and at the same time houses a festive, fun, and trivial entertainment function, without making concessions to bad taste. It is, therefore, an exceptional example of the integration of intangible heritage with the built heritage and its environment.

Criterion (ii): In Tropicana, an exchange of influences took place, for instance, in the technique of reinforced concrete lamellar structures in Arcos de Cristal and the entrance roof or marquee. In terms of function, the European model of the café cantante and the cabaret converge with the North American night club and integrates the requirements of the historical function with the contributions of the most advanced technique.

The technology of the show was cutting-edge in its time, so it became one of the starting points for the use of special effects in musical shows.

Tropicana was a model for notable architectural creations in Mexico, Puerto Rico, and other countries in the area, some of them carried out by Max Borges in alliance with the Spanish-Mexican Félix Candela.2

Initially taken from the title of a song,3 the Tropicana name became a symbol and has been replicated in a significant number of entertainment venues in different parts of the world.

Criterion (iv): The spatial solution created by the use of vaults and glass panels in the Arcos de Cristal room constitutes a contribution to leisure architecture in the Americas, by allowing lighting effects and textures that create the atmosphere of lightness necessary in a cabaret. Likewise, it is an architectural ensemble that incorporates a technological contribution through the use of special effects and stagecraft in Bajo las Estrellas.

The dynamism of the stage and the special effects (lighting, fireworks, movements), integrated into the exuberant vegetation, constitute the ideal scenic setting for the choreographies. Acts that until then were only typical of circus shows were incorporated.

The sculptures placed in different parts of the nightclub, in addition to their artistic value, contribute to the visual quality of the whole and underline the dynamism and grace that prevail in the environment.

Criterion (vi): Tropicana is directly and materially associated with culture and in particular popular music. It is a point of confluence of the Americas, which has already become universal, due to its maintained high quality and for having been the main site from which Cuban popular music was released to the world. A notable number of artists from other countries became international stars from their performance in the Cuban cabaret, among other reasons for the promotion of artists of different ethnic groups. A short list of the many celebrities who performed on its stage is Josephine Baker, Xavier Cugat and his orchestra, Nat King Cole, Liberace, Carmen Miranda, and other stars of the forties and fifties. Among the Cubans were Rita Montaner, Ignacio Villa, known as "Bola de Nieve" and Chano Pozo, and others.

A direct relationship is produced between the performances, the choreographies, and the architectural space, which corresponds perfectly to the type of music and dance of the time, characterized by its dynamism. The stage and the props, through the technology used, allow full use of the space, in the circus manner. Tropicana is an excellent example of the integration of tangible and intangible heritage.

Statements of authenticity and/or integrity

Tropicana retains its authenticity in form, design, materials, function, entertainment technology, green areas, as well as immaterial aspects, as it has continued to be a symbol of modern Latin culture. Maintains full integrity in architecture. Only the furniture and the casino have undergone changes and alterations.

Comparison with other similar properties

Most of the historical cabarets have been transformed and even abandoned or transferred, such as the Cotton Club in New York. Le Moulin de la Galette lost its outdoor area and was converted into a restaurant, making Tropicana probably the only one of the great historic cabarets to retain outdoor shows.

On the other hand, modern cabarets or night clubs generally occupy spaces in large hotels or casinos, while Tropicana is an independent entity that, although initially, it was a remodelling of an existing building, the extension was carried out by incorporating new architectural elements that added an indisputable aesthetic value.

Tropicana can be compared to works made out of Cuba by the author himself, Max Borges Recio, which were inspired by Cuban cabaret but have unfortunately been demolished.

The socio-cultural significance of Tropicana as a disseminator to a great extent of specific and minority cultures is comparable to other equally unique cases, such as the aforementioned Cotton Club, the Apollo Theatre −both in Harlem− or the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, promoter of country music and rock in its beginnings.

It was, together with the Paris Lido, one of the first cabarets whose objective was simple entertainment, without resorting to excessive transgressions of the values of the moment.

 The laminar structures can be compared with the entire series that starts with the works of Pier Luigi Nervi, Eduardo Torroja, Oscar Niemeyer, Félix Candela, and Borges himself, and culminates with the more recent ones by Santiago Calatrava. In all cases, there is a notable aesthetic intention and quality, which does not allow for enunciating the uniqueness of the Tropicana case but its early representativeness given by the use of said structures for a non-sports leisure function.

As for the technology of the show, at its beginnings Tropicana was at the same level as those of Radio City Music Hall in terms of stagecraft, with the Crazy Horse in Paris for the use of lighting, and one of the sources of inspiration was the Ringling Brothers circus. At present, the closest similarity and perhaps its heir is the Cirque du Soleil.

Very few properties dedicated to leisure are on the World Heritage List, and the fewest are those corresponding to the 20th and 21st centuries, represented mostly by theatres. Only the Pampulha Modern Ensemble (WHL 2016) coincides in time, architectural quality, and in main function −recreation−, but it differs in complexity, dimension, and variety of functions. The Great Spa Towns of Europe (WHL 2021), whose secondary function is recreation, is a transnational series that includes exponents from the 18th to the 20th centuries.