The Cuban Embassy in Washington, D.C. is the

diplomatic mission A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually den ...

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 ...

to the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...

. It is located at 2630

16th Street Northwest 16th Street Northwest is a prominent north–south thoroughfare in the northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. Part of Pierre L'Enfant's design for the city, 16th Street begins just north of the White House across Lafayette Park at H Street and c ...

, in the

Adams Morgan Adams Morgan is a neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C., centered at the intersection of 18th Street NW and Columbia Road, about 1.5 miles (2.54 km) north of the White House. Notable establishments in the neighborhood include ...

neighborhood. The building was originally constructed in 1917 as the Cuban embassy, and served in that capacity until the United States severed relations with Cuba in 1961. On July 1, 2015, US President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

announced the formal restoration of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba. The building resumed its role as the Cuban Embassy on July 20, 2015.

History

From 1977 to 2015, the former Cuban Embassy housed the Cuban Interests Section in the United States. The

interests section A protecting power is a country that represents another sovereign state in a country where it lacks its own diplomatic representation. It is common for protecting powers to be appointed when two countries break off diplomatic relations with ...

was staffed by Cubans and operated independently, but it was formally a section of the

protecting power A protecting power is a country that represents another sovereign state in a country where it lacks its own diplomatic representation. It is common for protecting powers to be appointed when two countries break off diplomatic relations with e ...

's embassy. From 1977 to 1991, it operated as the Cuba Interests Section of the

Czechoslovak Czechoslovak may refer to: *A demonym or adjective pertaining to Czechoslovakia (1918–93) **First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–38) **Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–39) **Third Czechoslovak Republic (1948–60) **Fourth Czechoslovak Repub ...

Embassy to the United States. In 1991, the post-Communist government of Czechoslovakia refused to continue its sponsorship of Cuba. From 1991 to 2015, the Cuban Interests Section operated under the

Swiss Embassy This is a list of diplomatic missions of Switzerland, excluding honorary consulates. Switzerland is well known as a protecting power, having used its embassies abroad to represent the interests of states hostile to each other since the Franco ...

, until diplomatic relations were re-established and the building resumed its role as the Cuban embassy. On May 19, 1979,

Omega 7 Omega 7 was an anti-Castro Cuban group based in Florida and New York made up of Cuban exiles whose stated goal was to overthrow Fidel Castro. The group had fewer than 20 members. According to the Global Terrorism Database, Omega 7 was responsib ...

detonated a bomb in the building, which did more damage to the Lithuanian legation next door. On April 30, 2020, a gunman opened fire at the building with an

AK-47 The AK-47, officially known as the ''Avtomat Kalashnikova'' (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is a gas-operated assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian small-arms des ...

style rifle. No one was injured, and the gunman, a 42-year-old man from

Aubrey, Texas Aubrey is a city in Denton County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,006 at the 2020 census. History Aubrey, the town, was officially founded 1867, when Civil War veteran Lemuel Noah Edwards (1838–1910) built the second frame house th ...

, was arrested. Though the gunman's motivation was not officially known, a police report called it a "suspected hate crime".

Designations since 1953

''Note''

Plenipotentiary representatives

Chiefs of Cuban Interests Section: 1977–2015

* 1977–89: Ramón Sánchez-Parodi Montoto * 1989–92: José Antonio Arbesú * 1992–98:

Alfonso Fraga Alfonso Fraga Pérez (born 1941 in Havana) is a Cuban attorney and diplomat. He has been the Secretary General of the Organization of Solidarity with the People of Asia, Africa and Latin America since 2006. He was the Cuban ambassador to Chile ...

* 1998–2001: Fernando Remírez de Estenoz Barciela * 2001–07:

Dagoberto Rodríguez Barrera Dagoberto Rodríguez Barrera (born 1955 in Cuba) is a Cuban diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the Europe ...

* 2007–12: Jorge Bolaños * 2012–15:

José Ramón Cabañas Rodríguez José Ramón Cabañas Rodríguez is a Cuban diplomat. He became the first Ambassador of Cuba to the United States in 50 years in September 2015. References Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living ...

Ambassadors: 2015–present

* 2015–2020:

* 2020–present: Lianys Torres Rivera

References

External links

Official website
Adams Morgan Cuba–United States relations

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

1917 establishments in Washington, D.C. {{WashingtonDC-struct-stub