The park was originally developed in 1940s under the Fulgencio Batista government. When Castro officially took power in 1959, it was only a matter of months before Parque Jose Marti was again given due attention, with architect Octavio Buigas designing what would become the focal piece of the park, the grandiose grandstand. This strong architectural form in the landscape reflected the current post-revolutionary architectural and political tides taking place in Cuba. Once magnificent structures are today abandoned.