The building is located on a site bordered by Calles 17 and M and Calles 19 and N in the Vedado.

In 1952 the CMQ Radio and TV Network located at Calle Rampa and M in el Vedado planned to provide administrative offices, a radio station and housing for employees.
CMQ selected a 110,000 sq.
ft.
plot of land costing approximately 700,000 pesos.
The company Fomento de Hipotecas Aseguradas (FHA) financed 80% of the cost of the residences and 60% of the commercial shops.
El Banco Continental Cubano granted a credit of 6 million pesos.

Work began in February 1954 and finished in June 1956.
At the time of construction it was the second-largest residential concrete building in the world, second only to the Martinelli Building in São Paulo, Brazil.
It surpassed the López Serrano Building in height which had been Cuba's tallest building.

In the early 1960s, middle-class owners of residential floor units had their properties nationalized by the current government.
 In the 1970s the building housed Soviet and Eastern bloc specialists and advisors and the ground store supermarket was for non-Cubans only.
In 2000 an elevator cable snapped killing one person.
In the 2000s the building was repainted and renovated and much of the building was given over to temporary housing of foreign guest workers, primarily from Venezuela.
The building is located on a site bordered by Calles 17 and M and Calles 19 and N in the Vedado. 
In 1952 the CMQ Radio and TV Network located at Calle Rampa and M in el Vedado planned to provide administrative offices, a radio station and housing for employees. CMQ selected a 110,000 sq. ft. plot of land costing approximately 700,000 pesos. The company Fomento de Hipotecas Aseguradas (FHA) financed 80% of the cost of the residences and 60% of the commercial shops. El Banco Continental Cubano granted a credit of 6 million pesos.
Work began in February 1954 and finished in June 1956. At the time of construction it was the second-largest residential concrete building in the world, second only to the Martinelli Building in São Paulo, Brazil. It surpassed the López Serrano Building in height which had been Cuba's tallest building.
In the early 1960s, middle-class owners of residential floor units had their properties nationalized by the current government.  In the 1970s the building housed Soviet and Eastern bloc specialists and advisors and the ground store supermarket was for non-Cubans only. In 2000 an elevator cable snapped killing one person. In the 2000s the building was repainted and renovated and much of the building was given over to temporary housing of foreign guest workers, primarily from Venezuela.
FOCSA Building