Max Borges Jr., born Max Borges Recio (July 24, 1918 – January 18, 2009), was a

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

best known for his work in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

in the 1940s and 1950s. He later moved to the United States.

Biography

Borges Jr. was born in Cuba, the son of

Max Borges del Junco Maximiliano de la Luz Borges y del Junco (May 29, 1890 in Jaruco, Cuba - June 9, 1963, Arlington, VA) was a well-known Cuban architect and Minister of Public Works during the presidency of Dr. Federico Laredo Brú of Cuba. He graduated as an eng ...

, an architect. He later studied in the United States, earning his bachelor's degree at

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

and a master's degree at the

Harvard Graduate School of Design The Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) is the graduate school of design at Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It offers master's and doctoral programs in architecture, landscape architecture, urban ...

. Borges Jr. returned to Cuba and joined his father's firm, together with his brother Enrique. Borges' style was influenced by his work with Spanish structural engineer

Félix Candela Félix Candela Outeriño (; January 27, 1910 – December 7, 1997) was a Spanish and Mexican architect who was born in Madrid and at the age of 26, emigrated to Mexico, acquiring double nationality. He is known for his significant rol ...

who practiced in Mexico and was a specialist in lightweight concrete parabolic structures. Borges invited Candela to work with him in Cuba, and they both developed extraordinary projects. His best known work is the

Tropicana Club El Tropicana Night Club in Havana, Cuba located in a lush, six-acre (24,000 m²) estate tropical garden opened on December 30, 1939 at the Villa Mina in Marianao. It is located next door to the old Colegio de Belen, presently, the Instituto Técn ...

of 1951, for which he later designed expansions. Other unique buildings like the 1943 Apartment Building of Max Borges-del Junco at Jovellar St. and the

Club Náutico Club Náutico (‘Nautical Club’) is a building in Cuba. It is in the (city ward) of Náutico, Playa, Havana. History It was originally built in the 1920s and expanded in 1936 by its owner Carlos Fernández. Guests paid a modest fee (.10 c ...

place Borges among a few modern architects of the Americas with a recognizable, original style. After 1959 his family moved to the United States, where he remained active well into the 1980s, along with his brother Enrique, designing and building many residential and commercial buildings in the

Washington Metropolitan Area The Washington metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the National Capital Region, is the metropolitan area centered on Washington, D.C. The metropolitan area includes all of Washington, D.C. and parts of the states of Maryland, Virgin ...

.Obituary, The Washington Post, January 21–23, 2009
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Awards

He twice won the Cuban National College of Architects Award. First, for his "Medical and Surgical Center" built in 1948 in El

Vedado Vedado ( es, El Vedado, ) is a central business district and urban neighborhood in the city of Havana, Cuba. Bordered on the east by Calzada de Infanta and Central Havana, and on the west by the Alemendares River and Miramar / Playa distric ...

and, the second time, for the

in 1953. In 2006, he was awarded the Cintas Foundation Lifetime Achievement Awardbr>
"The Cintas' legacy has fostered the development of Cuban artists, promoting the professional development of these artists and the continuity of Cuban traditions in art."

Family

He was son of architect

, a well-known Cuban architect. His brother was architect

Enrique Borges Recio Enrique () is the Spanish variant of the given name Heinrich of Germanic origin. Equivalents in other languages are Henry (English), Enric (Catalan), Enrico (Italian), Henrik (Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian), Heinrich (German), Hendrik, Henk ...

, with whom he authored many works as partner. He married Mignon Olmo-Garrido (March 18, 1923 - May 6, 2007) on February 5, 1944 at San Juan de Letrán Catholic Church in Havana, Cuba and they had two sons, Philip M. and Max M. Borges Olmo (also an architect), as well as five grandchildren.

Notable projects

* House of Santiago Claret - 1941 * House of Martin Fox - 1941 * Apartment Building of Max Borges del Junco - 1943 * House of Paula Maza - 1946 * House of Max Borges Recio - 1948 * Medical & Surgical Center (Centro Medico Quirurgico) - 1948 : : *

- 1951 :

- 1953 : * Partagas Building - 1954 * Anter Building - 1954 : * Nunez Bank - 1957 * House of Alberto Borges - 1957 * House of Humberto Tous - 1957 : Max Borges Jr

References

* ''The Havana Guide - Modern Architecture 1925-1965'', Eduardo Luis Rodriguez (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2000) * ''La Habana'', Eduardo Luis Rodriguez, Pepe Navarro (photographer), Blume 1998. * ''Directorio Internacional de Familias Cubanas, Volumen XI 1996-1997'' * ''The Washington Post'', May 8, 2007 * Obituary, "The Washington Post", January 21–23, 200

External links

Arcos de Cristal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Borges Jr., Max 1916 births 2009 deaths Cuban architects Harvard Graduate School of Design alumni Cuban emigrants to the United States Modernist architects Architects from Havana