Palacio de Valle (Cienfuegos, Cuba)

December 1969 Issue

Palacio de Valle (Cienfuegos, Cuba)

Built by Italian architect Alfredo Colli during the years 1913-17, the Palacio de Valle in the harbor of Cienfuegos, Cuba (pictured in our May mystery photo), is a blend of three types of architecture: Gothic, Venetian and neo-Moorish.

Originally intended to be the private home of a local businessman (Celestino Caces), the palace was sold to a wealthy Spaniard before construction was complete.

Decades later, Fulgencio Batista (Cubas president in 1940-44 and dictator in 1952-59) had planned to convert the colorful, eclectic palace into a casino until Fidel Castro came to power in the 1959 revolution. The palace is now a restaurant with a rooftop bar.

Twenty-four correct answers were submitted naming the location in the picture, and FRED STEINBERG of New York, New York, won the drawing. We thank Nick and Michaele Stooke of OFallon, Illinois, for submitting the photo.

Correct answers were submitted by:

Cynthia Anchondo, Moreno Valley, CA; Ginny Gunter Arndt, Solomons, MD; Cathy Briner, Eugene, OR; Maria Cueto, Weehawken, NJ; Linda Elzer, Wading River, NY; Heidi Foggatt, Phoenix, AZ; Willis Frick, San Clemente, CA; Laurel Glassman, Chevy Chase, MD; Susan Hamilton, Boulder, CO; Signe Haugen, San Carlos, CA; Jane Clyde Holt, Hinesburg, VT; David Jack, Modesto, CA; Karyn Kandell, Kyoto, Japan; Gert Kipnis, Tucker, GA; Sarah Kirtland, New York, NY; Sylvia Levi, Sherman Oaks, CA; Margaret Norman, Gurnee, IL; Raymond Prince, Maple Valley, WA; Vicki Reed, San Diego, CA; Sandy Robson, Brunswick, OH; Pamela Ross, Louisville, KY; Leslie Russum, Broomfield, CO; WINNER: Fred Steinberg, New York, NY; Mary Turney, Fair Play, SC.