Tropicana Cabaret in the 1950´s
Tropicana Habana
This is when Tropicana Habana glory years really began. Ardura hired maverick choreographer Roderico “Rodney” Neyra away from his chief rival on the Tropicana Habana cabaret scene, the Club San Souci, and Fox contracted up-and-coming architect Max Borges-Recio, who created Tropicana’s Arcos de Cristal, a building composed of parabolic concrete arches and glass walls over an indoor stage. Construction continued through 1951.
“Tropicana Habana still being built in 1951”
Tropicana Habana had giant fruit trees were left in situ during construction to punctuate the interior. When the Tropicana Habana indoor cabaret at the air-conditioned Arcos de Cristal opened on March 15, 1952, it had a combined total seating capacity of 1,700 for the interior and outside areas with furniture designed by Charles Eames. The Arcos de Cristal won numerous international prizes when it was built and was one of only six Cuban buildings included in the landmark 1954 Museum of Modern Art exhibit entitled “Latin American Architecture since 1945.”
