Bank of Nova Scotia Building, Havana

Summary

Bank of Nova Scotia Building, Havana is a Neoclassical-style bank building located at the intersection of Calle O´Reilly and Calle Cuba in old Havana.

Bank of Nova Scotia Building
Map
General information
StatusOccupied
TypeBank-office
Architectural styleNeoclassical
LocationHabana Vieja
AddressCalles O´Really y Cuba
Town or city Ciudad de La Habana
CountryCuba Cuba
Coordinates23°08′22.82″N 82°21′8.28″W / 23.1396722°N 82.3523000°W / 23.1396722; -82.3523000
Estimated completion1906
Renovated2014
Technical details
Structural systemSteel frame
Floor count4
Website
www.scotiabank.com/global/en/country/cuba.html

Built in 1906, the building was branch and business offices for Canadian-based Bank of Nova Scotia in the early 20th century. Additional floors were added in 1914 to the original two-floor building. It also served as a Scotiabank's branch in Havana and sold to a local bank Banco Metropolitano S.A. (founded 1996).[1]

Once one of the most important foreign banks in Cuba, Scotiabank is one of the few foreign banks allowed to retain offices in the country after 1959.[1] Today Scotiabank focusses on business banking (after approval in 2011[2]) and no longer operates banking branches (ceased in 1959 when all non-Cuban banks closed operations and transferred to Banco Nacional de Cuba) in Cuba.[3][4]

Rival Royal Bank of Canada operated in Cuba from 1899 with 24 branches (from high of 65 in the 1920s) when it was forced to sell their operations in 1960.[5] A former branch building in Havana and is being renovated since 2012 after sitting vacant[6]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Bank of Nova Scotia - Havana Guide". cuba-explore.com.
  2. ^ "Canadian banks eye Cuba - The Star". thestar.com.
  3. ^ "Cuba". www.scotiabank.com.
  4. ^ "Nova Scotia Bank Building". Old Havana Web. Archived from the original on 2016-08-14. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
  5. ^ Philcovex (4 March 2013). "Postal History Corner: 1939 The Royal Bank of Canada and Rocket Mail".
  6. ^ "- Cuba-European Union RelationsThe Cuban Economy – La Economía Cubana".