Cuba to renovate site known for hosting rally against US

FILE - In this Dec. 12, 2015 file photo, people watch a concert by Puerto Rico's Olga Tanon, at the Anti-Imperialist Tribune, a massive stage that sits beside the United States Embassy on the Malecon seaside promenade in Havana, Cuba. The Cuban government said on Thursday, May 23, 2019 that it is renovating the iconic site of its ideological battle with the U.S, with the creation of two elevated structures on the stage and the addition of dressing rooms. (AP Photo/Desmond Boylan, File)

FILE - In this July 26, 2015, file photo, a classic American convertible car passes beside the United States embassy as Cuban flags fly at the Anti-Imperialist Tribune, a massive stage on the Malecon seaside promenade in Havana, Cuba. The Cuban government said on Thursday, May 23, 2019 that it is renovating the iconic site of its ideological battle with the U.S, with the creation of two elevated structures on the stage and the addition of dressing rooms. (AP Photo/Desmond Boylan, File)

The Cuban government says it is renovating one of the iconic sites of its ideological battle with the United States.

The Anti-Imperialist Tribune is a massive stage that sits beside the United States Embassy on the Malecon seaside promenade. It is crumbling after two decades of constant sun, ocean spray and flooding from hurricanes, including Irma in 2017.

Orestes Llanes Mestres is vice president of the Havana Province Administrative Council. He told state website Cubadebate that two elevated structures would be built on the stage, where speakers addressed massive crowds in 2000 demanding the U.S. return Cuban child Elian Gonzalez after he was rescued at sea.

He said the structures would contain dressing rooms and that others would be rebuilt to withstand weather conditions. He offered no other specifics.