The Capitolio in Havana Centro is similar to the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC. It was initiated by Cuba's US-backed dictator Gerardo Machado in 1926 and took 5000 workers three years, two months and 20 days to build at a cost of around US$17 million. The Capitolio was the seat of government in Cuba until after the Cuban Revolution in 1959, and is now home to the Cuban Academy of Sciences.