page_title: El Capitolio
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: El Capitolio / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Hava, Cuba_1899-1903-estacion-de-villanueva-luego-el-capitolio-calle-dragones-y-prado
context_page_description: El Capitolio, or the National Capitol Building, is a public edifice and one of the most visited sites in Havana, capital of Cuba. The building was commissioned by Cuban president Gerardo Machado and built from 1926 to 1929 under the direction of Eugenio Rayneri Piedra. It is located on the Paseo del Prado, Dragones, Industria, and San José streets in the exact center of Havana.
context_section_description: The Havana Capitol was built on land that was a railroad terminal and used to belong to the Villanueva Railway.
  The project began on April 1926, during the Gerardo Machado administration. Construction was overseen by the U.S. firm of Purdy and Henderson. Prior to the Cuban Revolution of 1959, the Congress was housed in the building, the Congress was abolished and disbanded following the Cuban Revolution in 1959 and the building fell into disrepair.
  "El Capitolio" has a size of 681 by 300 ft. Although its design is often compared to the United States Capitol, it is not a replica. "It is similar to that in Washington D.C, but a meter higher, a meter wider, and a meter longer, as well as much richer in detail. To finish its construction they needed more than 5000 workers, 3 years, 3 months and 20 days; as well as approximately 17 million  American dollars". Completed in 1929, it was the tallest building in Havana until the 1950s. It houses the world's third largest indoor statue.
  As of 2013, the Government of Cuba has been slowly restoring the building for use once again as the home of Cuba's National Assembly.
caption: The railway station of Villanueva.
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