Angela Rojas

Evolution in Preservation Theory and Practice in Cuba

Please join us for a lunch lecture by Angela Rojas, Edward Larocque Tinker Visiting Professor at Columbia GSAPP.

Angela Rojas is a Consultant Professor at the School of Architecture in Havana, Cuba, and a member of the Cuban National Landmarks Commission. She graduated as an Architect, at the University of Havana in 1970, Specialist in Urbanism in 1980, and Ph.D. in 1986. In 1997 attended the ITUC Course at ICCROM. Scholar at the Getty Conservation Institute, Fall 2016.

Rojas’ contribution to the conservation of heritage has mainly been on Theory, History, and Urban Preservation in Cuba and other countries. She designed the first undergraduate course on Theory of Preservation in Cuba. She is the author of several books, including Conservación patrimonial: teoría y crítica (with Isabel Rigol, UH, Havana, 2013) and Patrimonio del Mercurio (Almadén, Spain, 2013). She is the author of a wide range of publications and is a member of the board of Hereditas Journal (Mexico) and Arquitectura y Urbanismo (Cuba).

Angela Rojas is an Honorary member of ICOMOS and a member of ICOMOS Academy. She received in 2022 the Cuban National Award of Architecture.

About the lecture

A brief summary of the evolution of thought and practice of heritage preservation in Cuba in recent decades will be shown, which includes a clear transition from the restoration of important monuments to an urban heritage approach, whose greatest achievement has been the processes of rehabilitation with high social content developed by the Office of the Historian of the City of Havana. At the same time, it will be explained the contradiction between good practices linked to historic centers that, however, have not been replicated in other areas whose values ​​are less recognized but which constitute part of the attributes of cultural identity.

Lunch will be provided before the lecture. Please register in advance.

This lecture will be held in person and is accessible to Columbia University affiliates with a valid green pass.

Organized as part of the Preservation Lecture Series, an initiative of the Historic Preservation Program at Columbia GSAPP.