Havana '59 Exhibition and Sale at Eastern University - Opening - November 11, 2011

Presented by Eastern University, Friends of the Library, and Pennsylvania Trust to benefit the David R. Black Academic Enrichment Fund. Click here to for tickets to the November 11,2011 Grand Opening at the Bolingbroke Mansion in Radnor

Sponsers (to date)
: (click on link to view sponsors websites) Pennsylvania Trust, Corporate Dimensions, LTD., Handelok Bag Company, Edmar Abrasive Company, Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union, Newman & Saunders Galleries

The Sea Wall




34" x 34" Acrylic on Canvas
George H. Rothacker, 2009©
Price: $4200 (plus shipping and handling)
Prints are also available. Please contact george@rothackeradv.com

El Malecon, the boulevard along the ocean in Havana, was conceived soon after Cuba was conquered by the U.S. It was completed in the 1920s and wraps around the city from the historical areas through the newer sections of the city and into Miramar.

We visited Havana while Hurricane Ida was finding its way along the U.S. coastline. The skies were mostly cloudy throughout our stay, and during a walk along the boulevard from Old Havana, waves continued to crash violently against the sea wall and into the street.

Much of the ocean front property along El Malecon, from the Old City to the newer sections, is abandoned and in ruin. The beautiful and decorative facades are crumbling from the salt sea sprays and the general decay of the infrastructure. The boulevard and its sidewalks are broken, and scaffoldings are used mainly to shore up buildings rather than for the purpose of renewal. Between ruins, you may find a small church, museum, or restaurant housed in a tent.

Many Cubans fish at the Malecon to catch their daily dinner for the night, and in quieter moments, young people play games between the rocks and attempt to climb the sea wall.