The Edificio López Serrano (López Serrano Building) is the first skyscraper of Havana, inspired by the skyscrapers in the US like the Empire State building. It introduced the new concept of bringing the residential and commercial uses together. It stayed as the tallest residential building in Havana until 1956, when the Edificio FOCSA was built. With the inauguration of the Hotel Hilton Habana (current Hotel Habana Libre) two years later, the region was enriched with four giant buildings.

The building was named after his promoter and owner José Antonio López Serrano, the son of the Galician banker José López Rodríguez, nicknamed Pote.  José López Rodríguez arrived in Havana as a poor and illiterate teenager. In 1890, he married Ana Luísa Serrano, a wealthy widow who owned one of the best bookstores in Havana, La Moderna Poesía. After the marriage, José López Rodríguez took in charge in opening several branches throughout the island. He was also successful in building good relations with the main Cuban leaders that would bring important economic benefits. José Miguel Gómez, the President of Cuba from 1909 to 1913, is the most important figure among these personalities. In the elections of 1908, called by the second US military intervention during 1906-1909, José Miguel Gómez received financial support from José López Rodríguez. Subsequently, when José Miguel Gómez was elected to the highest rank of office in Cuba, José López Rodríguez made one of the most profitable contracts of his life by obtaining the right of printing the tickets of the National Lottery.  Soon, he monopolized the printing of official documents such as bonds, stocks, stamps and bank notes, printed in La Casa del Timbre. Before the presidency of José Miguel Gómez ended, he obtained the concession for the construction of an iron bridge over the Almendares River, connecting Calzada street with Miramar. It was called Pote’s Bridge collaquially. He had also a four-story garage, where he became the dealer of Buick automobile company and some American tire companies. He owned also many sugar mills, such as Conchita, Asunción, Reglita and Nombre de Dios. All these made him a great fortune. It is said that his fortune had amounted to 93 million. During the crisis of 1921, he committed suicide, believing that he was bankrupt, without knowing that he had already eleven million dollars in his personal bank account. Interestingly, José Antonio López Serrano was registered by his father only 10 days before the controversial suicide. José López Rodríguez that was living alone, likely wanted to assure the right of heirship of his fifteen years old son on his enormous fortune.

The Edificio López Serrano, one of the most representative buildings in the city, is built in art deco style. In shape, it resembles the Empire State Building in New York. The North American influence on the construction is evident with decreasing staggering of the upper floors that contributes to the ventilation and lightning of the streets.

The highest point of the building is about 65 meters above the ground. The building occupies an area of about 8.500 square meters.

The central building consists of ten floors, divided into two apartments on the east and west. From the second to the tenth floor, the building has eight apartments per floor. There are four floors more in the tower that rises above ten floors of the central building, so that the number of the apartments reaches 78.

It has a sober ornamentation on its facades, consisting of linear and vertical lines from the basement to the tower. The plan of the building is formed by a combination of letters H and I to benefit from daylight and air at maximum. The roof is covered with terracotta tiles.

The floor of the lobby is paved with beautiful terrazzo with geometric motifs in red and black or red and green. The walls up to the top are clad in red Moroccan marbles. On the elevator wall you will find the relief, called El Tiempo, by the graphic designer Enrique García Cabrera, made in nickel-silver, that was melted down in 1931 in Luyanó workshops for a value of 78 pesos. The pivot hinged elevator doors were made of nickel-silver originally and they had various art deco designs.

The first floor is dedicated to public use. You will find some shops there, including a pharmacy, restaurant, barber shop and grocery.

Particularly the top of the building has fantastic views of the city and the sea.

The contractor firm Mira & Rosich, one of the most reputable construction firms in Cuba, founded by the Cuban architect Ricardo Mira and Puerto Rican engineer Miguel R. Rosich, used plenty of steel in the construction, applying the steel frame system of the American technology. The solid structure of the building is based on steel frame welded on the spot. The construction was started in 1929 and completed in 1932.

In addition to the Edificio López Serrano, the firm is responsible for the design and construction of numerous residential projects, public office buildings, hostels and industries, such as the US Embassy, (former) Hotel Varadero Internacional, Hotel Comodoro and the Catholic University of Villanueva.

First of all, the Edificio López Serrano was designed for wealthy families. José Antonio López Serrano lived on the top floor that was occupied later by Eduardo Chibás, the congressman, senator and presidential candidate, from 1944 until his death in 1951. Eduardo Chibás stood out in the fight against the dictatorship of Gerardo Machado and the widespread corruption in Cuba before the Revolution. He founded the Partido del Pueblo (Orthodox) under the slogan Vergüenza Contra Dinero (Shame Against Money).  In 1951, he accused the Minister of Education of embezzling the ministry's funds, but he couldn’t find sufficient evidence. Thus, he committed suicide during the radio broadcast of CMQ Radio Station. His funeral was the largest manifestation of popular mourning, registered until then in the island.

The Channel 12, second color TV station of Cuba established in 1958 by Telecolor S.A., was transmitting up to 16 hours a day of color programming from the Edificio López Serrano. It was a commercial television station under the direction of Gaspar Pumarejo with studios located in the Hotel Hilton, current Hotel Habana Libre, which used the NTSC system of US. Habana