Avenida Carlos III (English: Charles III Avenue) is the most commonly used name by Habaneros for the avenue in the Centro Habana neighborhood of Havana, Cuba, officially known since 1976 as Avenida Salvador Allende (English: Salvador Allende Avenue). Initially known as Paseo de Tacón (English: Tacón Promenade), or Paseo Militar (English: Military Promenade), from 1902 to 1936, it was also known as Avenida de la Independencia (English: Independence Avenue). It was created by Captain General Miguel Tacón y Rosique who promoted the reform of the “road” that, starting from the intersection of Calle San Luis de Gonzaga (Calle Reina or Avenida Simón Bolívar) and Calle Belascoáin, connected to the Castillo del Príncipe. Calle Belascoáin was the edge between the city and the countryside. Today, Avenida Carlos III is one of the busiest avenues in Havana. It is more than 50 meters in width and serves to direct traffic to and from the oldest areas of Havana. It has four lanes of traffic and is the widest historic traffic artery in the city.
History
Planning and construction of Paseo de Tacón
Miguel Tacón y Rosique assumed command of the Captaincy General of Cuba in 1834. Within a short time, Captain General Governor Tacón established the Tacón Theatre, the Real Cárcel de La Habana, and the Plaza del Vapor – all of which he named after himself. Throughout Cuba, he constructed dozens of buildings, streets, and parks, all with his own name. In this fashion, in 1835, he directed the remodeling of an existing muddy dirt path into a promenade that connected the Castillo del Príncipe and the with the center of the newer districts of Havana, which he named Paseo de Tacón. Despite the Governor's desire for self-promotion, because of the presence of the Statue of Charles III placed at the eastern entrance to the promenade, most Habaneros called it Paseo Carlos III, instead of its official name. This might also have been because Tacón was considered one of the worst dictators that had ever ruled Cuba, and most Habaneros did not want to associate it with him. Tacón said about this project:“Havana lacked a country promenade, one where you could breathe the pure and free air, and I resolved to undertake one from Campo Peñalver to the foot of the hill where the Prince's Castle is located. This site, once marshy and prone to flooding, was the most suitable for a work of this kind in the vicinity of this city, in the part not surrounded by the sea. There was also another reason that made the work doubly useful, which was the free communication of this square with the castle, interrupted on that side during the rainy season.”The lead engineer for the project was , who before his career as a civil engineer, had been the former Capitan General of Yucatan. After receiving orders from Governor Tacón to "beautify" the city, Carrillo de Albornoz drew-up a "beautification plan," which included the new Paseo de Tacón. Carrillo de Albornoz's design anticipated a promenade that would provide a comfortable walking experience for the city's newer expanding population, who were moving outside of Old Havana, becoming, as he called them, "Extramuros," literally meaning those living beyond the original (Spanish: Murallas de la Habana), which had historically protected them from foreign attacks.
The construction of the promenade required an extensive engineering project to completely elevate Calzada de San Luis Gonzaga. At that time, Calzada de San Luis Gonzaga was uneven, and riddled with potholes which damaged the wheels of carriages and carts. The problem presented to the engineers was that it could not be leveled without damaging the houses in low-lying areas. Carrillo de Albornoz realized that it was necessary to raise a central roadway 40 varas wide that could be adjoined with sidewalks on either side.
In 1838, Tacón, after having cancelled local elections and having expelled the Archbishop of Santiago, was forced to return to Spain. Paseo de Tacón was completed in 1839, during the tenure of his successor as Captain General, Joaquín Ezpeleta Enrile.
The primary function of the promenade was less about pleasure, and more utilitarian; Paseo de Tacón allowed for better communication with the colonial troops in Castillo del Príncipe, because until then it was difficult for soldiers to reach the fort, having to circumvent via the low and muddy San Lázaro Road, which became practically impassable in times of rains. The time it took to reach the city limits and the fortress was shortened significantly.
The promenade was built with two side walks for pedestrians at 60 varas wide, and a central carriageway, three times wider than the sidewalks. These were separated by four rows of New Holland pines, white poplars, and bamboo. Expansive gardens were planted alongside the promenade, with views of the harbor. In the gardens were artificial lakes and waterfalls, fountains, and winding paths.
One of the businesses on this street that was built in 1830, before the construction of the promenade, was the Garden of the Phoenix (Spanish: El Jardín El Fenix). When the promenade was completed, its street address became No. 754 Avenida Carlos III.
The Príncipe Automatic Telephone Exchange, the H. Upmann tobacco factory "La Madama," the Quinta de Toca estate, and the Freyre de Andrade Hospital were also located on Avenida Carlos III.
This was one of the first roads paved with cement in Havana.
After Cuban independence In 1902, after the Republic of Cuba gained independence from the Military Government of Cuba, Havana City Council officially renamed the street Avenida de la Independencia. Despite the official name change, Habaneros continued to call it Avenida Carlos III.
Over time, as more and more cars appeared in the city, the "beautiful" aesthetics of Avenida Carlos III were converted into a standard modern street for vehicles. Several statues were relocated elsewhere, the water basins of the fountains were removed and converted into simple standing statues, and much of the ornamentation wasted away from natural degradation.
In 1936, the City Historian of Havana, Emilio Roig de Leuchsenring, convinced the municipal government to officially restore its name to Avenida Carlos III, the name that most Cubans already called it.
In 1946, the Cuban branch of the Sociedad Económica de los Amigos del País was built by Evelio Govantes y Félix Cabarrocas. It contained a nine-floor library with over 30,000 books and other written works.
Carlos III became the headquarters of the Popular Socialist Party, the Cuban Electric Company (now called the Cuban Ministry of Energy and Mines). The Cuban branch of the Pepsi-Cola Company, and the newspaper Alerta were also found here.
In 1955, urban planners from the Cuban Ministry of Public Works (MOP) (Spanish: Ministerio de Obras Públicas) sought a modernization program for the street, to modify it so that traffic could link directly to the city center from the Boyeros Expressway. They removed most of the older trees along the road, pulled what remained of the original fountains, and two of the doric columns. The tramway tracks were dug-up and replaced by dedicated transit lanes.
The National Masonic Temple of Cuba was completed in 1955 and opened to the public during the Third Inter-American Conference on Symbolic Freemasonry.
Also in 1955, the Mercado de Carlos III was constructed.
In 1957, Avenida Carlos III was widened again from Avenida Infanta to the foot of the hill at the Prince's Castle.
In 1976, the street was officially named Avenida Salvador Allende, in honor of the former Chilean President Salvador Allende. In repetition of the pattern, the name that the government wanted people to use never really stuck. While this name did appear on all government maps of the city, Habaneros never called it that, and now most maps of the city show both names alongside one-another. The statue of Salvador Allende that was originally intended for this street never appeared here, and was instead erected on the .
Public transportation
Rail In 1832, , , was elected as the President of the Junta de Fomento (English: Cuban Development Board). When he got into office, he began making plans to build a railroad line of Ferrocarriles de Cuba from Havana to Güines to benefit Havana's Sacarocracia (English: Sugar aristocracy) and increase the efficiency of the country's minimum sugar output per annum. Alfred Cruger, a citizen from the United States (formerly of the USACE), was hired as the railroad's first lead construction engineer. To overcome the railroad's financial problems, the Cuban Development Board signed a loan contract with an English banker named Alexander Robertson.
Alfred Cruger tendered his resignation with the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal in 1834, and arrived in Havana with a handpicked team soon after. The team suggested several possible paths that the new railroad might take, and the Development Board decided that it preferred an option which would travel along Paseo Carlos III and pass to the south near Castillo del Príncipe.
Miguel de Tacón objected to the plan, and the Spanish Crown interceded on his behalf. They issued a Royal Order which created an Extraordinary Commission to draft a plan for the railroad. Tacón, the leader of the commission, suggested that Garcini's Fields should act as the departure terminus. Martínez de Pinillos and Tacón fought each other politically over this. While Garcini's Fields was chosen as the terminus, Tacón was ultimately forced to tender his resignation in 1839.
Marianao Railway and Concha Station
In 1858, Governor José Gutiérrez de la Concha, Marquis of Havana, granted permission for the construction of the Marianao Railway, a streetcar line from Havana to Marianao. The railway was initially owned by the company Porto y Cabello and its namesakes Joaquín de Porto and Félix Cabello, but they then ceded their interests to a company created by the General Society of Real Estate Credit. In 1862, after financial difficulties, they acquired a loan from W. Gibson & Company to finish laying the 20 kilometers of track. The tracks were completed in 1863.
In 1863, Marianao Railway constructed Concha Station at No. 337 Avenida Carlos III, between Árbol Seco and Retiro. At 7am on June 19, 1863, the first streetcar departed Concha Station on its inaugural journey to the Samá Station, located on Avenida 43 in Marianao.
The first steam locomotive on the Marianao Railway traveled in 1865.
In 1871, Marianao Railway became Marianao & Havana Railroad Company, but this company shut down in 1876 and its debts were auctioned off. In 1879, the Marianao & Havana Railway Company was established in London, which in 1884 extended the line by 6 kilometers towards the beach.
In 1905, the railway was acquired by an English company called United Railways of the Havana and Regla Warehouse Limited, who extended the line another 10 kilometers to Hoyo Colorado.
On May 29, 1911, Havana City Council granted permission to United Railways to build a tunnel that crossed underneath Avenida Carlos III. This tunnel linked together the Marianao Railway lines with the United Railways lines, from Zanja Street, to extend to Galiano. The tunnel was completed in 1914. To provide electric power to the railway, an electric power plant was built next to Concha Station.
In the 1940s, United Railways operated a special commuter train specifically for their own employees. Each morning, they loaded at Concha Station and travelled to their shops in Ciénaga de Zapata. Every night, they would bring the employees back.
Concha Station was demolished around the year 1955 to make way for the Mercado de Carlos III, which needed its footprint. Both of the access points have been preserved, and the tunnel still exists. Today, the former Concha Station is part of the Vivarta Theatre Studio.
Streetcars and trams Avenida Carlos III was a major line for the network of .