 |
Address:Mercaderes 16, e/ Empedrado y O’reilly, Plaza de la Catedral, Habana Vieja
Construction date:1746 |
Current use:
The construction of this magnificent mansion it is thought to have been commissioned by the treasurer of the Royal Treasury in Havana, Diego Peñalver Calvo (1700 – 1771), who lived in it with his son, Ignacio Peñalver y Cárdenas (1736 – 1804), General Treasurer of the Army and of the Royal Exchequer. The latter was granted the title of Marquis of Arcos due to his outstanding merits and services to the crown.
Around the middle of the 18th century, the house had a porch added and was enlarged to house the Treasury. This alteration can be seen in the dead-end alley that used to lead to the Plaza through Mercaderes Street.
In the 19th century it became the Post Office and later on housed the Havana’s Lyceum. Afterwards it was fractioned to be used as dwellings and began to fall into disrepair. Nowadays this colonial mansion is home to the Experimental Workshop of Graphical Arts. The beauty of its wood and iron work, the elegance of its main stairway and its porches make it one of the most outstanding houses of that time.
