Born in Havana on September 11, perhaps he would have celebrated his 81 years of age with his colleagues while thinking about the restoration of a building in the Historic Center, or maybe he would have enjoyed Walking Havana with his young disciples at the City Museum and the Office of the Historian.
As the director of both institutions, Leal Spengler undertook major renovation and reconstruction works, such as that of the Palace of the Captains General (former Government House) and the current seat of the City Museum.
The responsibility of leading the work on Havana’s Historic Center, declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1982, was entrusted to him in 1981, a task he undertook with the passion of a lover for his muse.
In fact, this city was his muse, his inspiration, the great love he lived with intensity.
And there he is, eternal, at the entrance of the emblematic Palace of the Captains General, as if an audience were impatiently awaiting his speech.
Eusebio’s presence in the square, with a life-size bronze sculpture, immortalizes the best citizen of Havana.
jg/arm/mem/dpm