Keep Out! Massive Repair

This is a multi-purpose stadium built in 1929 in Havana, Cuba, by the then owner of the ice factory ‘La Tropical’, producer of the beer of the same name.

Brief history: The brewery was confiscated in 1959 by the newly established Cuban government. The stadium as well, and it automatically changed its name to Pedro Marrero in honour of a combatant who fell during an assault on a barracks in 1953.

In its early years, this facility was a place of major sporting celebrations, mainly professional baseball games. After 1959 it continued to be used for all kinds of sports-related events, and over time the wear and tear became evident. Today it is the home of Cuban football, whose history, in my opinion, is not at all relevant.

By the way, the last time I visited it, ten years ago now, I photographed a football match there.

The sign says the repair is massive, but I only saw one man there scraping a railing.

He says they haven’t even started yet… I asked him when the stadium is expected to be ready, and he replied: uhhhhhhhhhhhhh…

I’m sure he looked at me like that 🙄, though with all that glare I couldn’t really make him out… hahaha…

😂 Eternity awaits.

There were supposedly many people working on it, yet what a coincidence that when I went there, only he was present. And a few women were asleep on chairs at the access doors.

I don’t think they were drinking Tropical beer during working hours, but not because of the schedule — rather because Tropical hasn’t been brewed in Cuba for ages… Thinking about it now, as sleep overtakes me, what kind of work content could those people possibly have there?

This is my entry in the #Monomad Challenge… with two more photos of the outside… ahhh, right, I never actually managed to go inside… 😅