Original artwork by carmonamedina. Article by Elliot Carter

The Cuban Embassy on 16th Street has repeatedly found itself on the front line of our foreign relations with the island nation over the past century. During the Cold War it was the site of several acts of anti-Castro terrorism, and with the recent easing of tensions, a new mixological addition has accompanied the restored friendship.

Architectural firm Macneil & Macneil designed the stately three-story building in 1916, two decades after Cuba gained its independence. Before that the Cuban diplomats occupied a smaller brownstone mansion at 1750 Massachusetts Avenue.

US-Cuban relations prospered in the first half of the 20th century and the embassy was a fashionable stop on Washington’s social circuit. The Post described how the embassy “frequently held moonlit garden parties in the back, with rumba music and the finest food imaginable."

The cozy relationship deteriorated after the Cuban Revolution, eventually resulting in an embargo. Official diplomatic relations terminated in 1961 and the Cuban ambassador packed up and left Washington. Comrades from the Czechoslovakian Embassy thoughtfully served as house sitters over the next decade. During this tenure, the Post reported that “shrubbery in front was damaged by Molotov cocktails allegedly hurled by Cuban veterans of the Bay of Pigs fighting”.