North 16th Street, Ybor City Historical Neighborhood, City of Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida, USA

Ybor City is a historic neighborhood just northeast of downtown Tampa, Florida, United States. It was founded in the 1880s by Vicente Martinez-Ybor and other cigar manufacturers and populated by thousands of immigrants, mainly from Cuba, Spain, and Italy. For the next 50 years, workers in Ybor City's cigar factories rolled hundreds of millions of cigars annually.

Ybor City was unique in the American South as a successful town almost entirely populated and owned by immigrants. The neighborhood had features unusual among contemporary communities in the south, most notably its multiethnic and multiracial population and their many mutual aid societies. The cigar industry employed thousands of well-paid workers, helping Tampa grow from an economically depressed village to a bustling city in about 20 years and giving it the nickname "Cigar City".

Ybor City grew and flourished from the 1890s until the Great Depression of the 1930s, when a drop in demand for fine cigars reduced the number of cigar factories and mechanization in the cigar industry greatly reduced employment opportunities in the neighborhood. This process accelerated after World War II, and a steady exodus of residents and businesses continued until large areas of the formerly vibrant neighborhood were virtually abandoned by the late 1970s. Attempts at redevelopment failed until the 1980s, when an influx of artists began a slow process of gentrification. In the 1990s and early 2000s, a portion of the original neighborhood around 7th Avenue developed into a nightclub and entertainment district, and many old buildings were renovated for new uses. Since then, the area's economy has diversified with more offices and residences, and the population has shown notable growth for the first time in over half a century.

Ybor City has been designated as a National Historic Landmark District, and several structures in the area are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, 7th Avenue, Ybor City's main commercial thoroughfare, was recognized as one of the "10 Great Streets in America" by the American Planning Association. In 2010 Columbia Restaurant was named a "Top 50 All-American icon" by Nation's Restaurant News magazine.

In the early 1880s, Tampa was an isolated village with a population of less than 1000 and a struggling economy. However, its combination of a good port, Henry Plant's new railroad line, and humid climate attracted the attention of Vicente Martinez Ybor, a prominent Spanish cigar manufacturer.

Ybor had moved his cigar-making operation from Cuba to Key West, Florida, in 1869, due to political turmoil in the then-Spanish colony. But, labor unrest and the lack of room for expansion had him looking for another base of operations, preferably in his own company town.

Ybor considered several communities in the southern United States and decided that an area of sandy scrubland just northeast of Tampa would be the best location. In 1885, the Tampa Board of Trade helped broker an initial purchase of 40 acres (160,000 m2) of land, and Ybor quickly bought more. However, Ybor City very nearly didn't happen at all. Vicente Ybor initially failed to come to an agreement with the owner of the 40 acre parcel. The Tampa Board of Trade was horrified to find that the purchase had failed and hatched a plan to get the buyer and seller back together. Vicente Ybor was sitting in the train station on his way to Jacksonville to look at more property when the Board of Trade (a group of five, one of whom was Frederick Salomonson, future 3-time mayor of Tampa) arrived and persuaded Ybor to reconsider and the deal went forward from there, the birth of Ybor City.

Italians were also among the early settlers of Ybor City. Most of them came from a few villages in southwestern Sicily. The villages were Santo Stefano Quisquina, Alessandria della Rocca, Bivona, Cianciana, and Contessa Entellina. Sixty percent of them came from Santo Stefano Quisquina. Before settling in Ybor City, many first worked in the sugar cane plantations in St. Cloud, central Florida. Some came by way of Louisiana. A number of families migrated from New Orleans after the lynching of eleven Italians in 1891 during the "Mafia Riot". Italians mostly brought their entire families with them, unlike other immigrants. The foreign-born Italian population of Tampa grew from 56 in 1890 to 2,684 in 1940. Once arriving in Ybor City, Italians settled mainly in the eastern and southern fringes of the city. The area was referred to as La Pachata, after a Cuban rent collector in that area. It was also called "Little Italy".

In 1887, Tampa annexed the neighborhood. By 1900, the rough frontier settlement of wooden buildings and sandy streets had been transformed into a bustling town with brick buildings and streets, a streetcar line, and many social and cultural opportunities. Largely due to the growth of Ybor City, Tampa's population had jumped to almost 16,000.

Ybor City grew and prospered during the first decades of the 20th Century. Thousands of residents built a community that combined Cuban, Spanish, Italian, and Jewish culture. "Ybor City is Tampa's Spanish India," observed a visitor to the area, "What a colorful, screaming, shrill, and turbulent world."

Circulo Cubano de Tampa, one of Ybor City's social clubs
An aspect of life were the mutual aid societies built and sustained mainly by ordinary citizens. These clubs were founded in Ybor's early days (the first was the Centro Español, established in 1891) and were run on dues collected from their members, usually 5% of a member's salary. In exchange, members and their whole family received services including free libraries, educational programs, sports teams, restaurants, numerous social functions like dances and picnics, and free medical services. Beyond the services, these clubs served as extended families and communal gathering places for generations of Ybor's citizens.

There were clubs for each ethnic division in the community – the Deutscher-Americaner Club (for German and eastern Europeans), L'Unione Italiana (for Italians), El Circulo Cubano (for light-skinned Cubans), La Union Marti-Maceo (for darker-skinned Cubans), El Centro Español (for Spaniards), and the largest, El Centro Asturiano, which accepted members from any ethnic group[20]

Although there was little racism in Ybor City, Tampa's Jim Crow laws at the time forbade Afro-Cubans from belonging to the same social organization as their lighter-skinned countrymen. Sometimes, differences in skin color within the same family made joining the same Cuban club impossible. In general, the rivalries between all the clubs were friendly, and families were known to switch affiliations depending on which one offered preferred services and events.

Cigar production reached its peak in 1929, when 500 million cigars were rolled in the factories of Ybor City. Not coincidentally, that was also the year that the Great Depression began.

In the early 1980s, an influx of artists seeking interesting and inexpensive studio quarters started a slow recovery, followed by a period of commercial gentrification. By the early 1990s, many of the old long-empty brick buildings on 7th Avenue had been converted into bars, restaurants, nightclubs, and other nightlife attractions.Traffic grew so much that the city built parking garages and closed 7th Ave. to traffic to deal with the visitors.

Cigar making display, Ybor City Museum State Park
Since around 2000, the city of Tampa and the Ybor City Chamber of Commerce have encouraged a broader emphasis in development. With financial help from the city, Centro Ybor, a family-oriented shopping complex and movie theater, opened in the former home of the Centro Español social club.

The Florida Brewing Company building was restored into a commercial building in 2001. New apartments, condominiums and a hotel have been built on long-vacant lots, and old buildings have been restored and converted into residences and hotels. New residents began moving into Ybor City for the first time in many years. The blocks surrounding 7th Avenue also thrive with restaurants, nightlife and shopping. Reflecting the district's status as a party destination, Ybor City is referenced extensively in the lyrics of Brooklyn-based rock band The Hold Steady. The song "Killer Parties", for instance, contains the line "Ybor City is très speedy, but they throw such killer parties." In May 2009 Swedish super-retailer IKEA opened its long-awaited Tampa location in the southern edge of Ybor City.

The local museum is the Ybor City Museum State Park in the former Ferlita Bakery building (originally La Joven Francesca) building on 9th Avenue. Tours of the gardens and the "casitas" (small homes of cigar company workers) are provided by a ranger. Exhibits, period photos and a video cover the founding of Ybor City and the cigar making industry.

Credit for the data above is given to the following website:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ybor_City

© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.

Taken in: United States / Florida / Pons (show map)

Taken on: June 12, 2023

Tags:

Centro Ybor

Ybor City

City of Tampa

Hillsborough County

Florida

USA

building

Tampa

architecture

Cuban heritage

Spanish heritage

urban

northest of downtown Tampa

Tampa Bay

west central Florida

Sunshine State

Cigar City

historic Florida

old Florida

city

cityscape

real estate

commercial property

street photography

Vicente Martinez-Ybor

cigar manufacturers

cigar factories

multiethnic

multiracial population

National Historic Landmark District

National Register of Historic Places

10 Great Streets in America

American Planning Association

Columbia Restaurant

Top 50 All-American icon

Spanish cigar manufacturer

Frederick Salomonson

La Pachata

Circulo Cubano de Tampa

Centro Español

Deutscher-Americaner Club

El Circulo Cubano

La Union Marti-Maceo

Ybor City Museum State Park

Florida Brewing Company building

La Joven Francesca) building

central business district « less

Sets appears in: • Urban Florida V • Ybor City historic neighborhood, City of Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida, USA more » • Greater Tampa, Florida, USA, Metropolitan Area « less

Groups appears in: • Florida • Tampa Bay more » • Downtown • Central Florida • Historical places • Your Favorite Photos - Unlimited! • Central Florida Recreation • Historical/Mysterious Places • Flickr USA • Your photo goes here! no 30/60 • Florida, USA • National Register of Historic Places • Central Florida Flickrs • Old Florida • Old Buildings & More..... • Central Florida Photographers • Historic Towns • MY FLORIDA • IMAGE`S OF BUILDINGS - OLD AND NEW • Florida Vaction • old buildings are beautiful. • I bring my camera everywhere (no 30/60 limit) • Florida Holiday Photos • Florida Sun • Historic Districts USA • [Noctography] • Historic Florida • The Florida Photographer • Historic Buildings of the United States • "Unlimited Photos: No Rules" • Photography in Florida • I am flickr! - No 30/60 Limit • FLORIDA'S PALMS • -Spirit Of Photography • Cityscape and urban scenery • Historical and architectural gems • Skylines of Florida • Downtown Living • Tampa Bay, Florida-all things Tampa Bay area & region • Florida's Retro Restaurants • TAMPA, Florida USA • ybor • Florida - HDR • Sólo arquitectura y arte. Only architecture and art • Engineering as Art • Florida Explorers • Strictly GeoTagged (no 30/60 limit) • Turismo por todo el mundo • Historic Buildings • Tampa Expats • The Real Florida • Tampa Bay Photography Club • Around Central Florida • Geotagged: Florida • FLICKERIANS • Florida Travels • Hipstamatic - Florida • *****WORLDARCHITECTURE!***** • Beauty of the USA • Urban trees • Light Creations • Urban Color • Urban Views • Tampa Bay Photography/Photographers • Real Estate In Florida • FloridaPast • Tampa at night • Florida Photo Adventures • Historic Buildings of the World (and other distinct architecture • Florida - The Sunshine State • FLORIDA • My Florida Page • Pictures of Monuments and Historic places • Florida Landscapes • Luna Photo (P1 - A2) • URBAN ARTE (P1 - A1) • Beautiful Buildings old and new • My time behind the lens No 30/60 limits • TOURISM magazine • Photo's passion of the world • Florida Architecture • City architecture, historic monuments, bridges, metropolis, famo • Florida Days & Nights • Old Buildings Lover • Architecture of Beautiful Towns and Cities • World Street Photography! Full Color and Monochrome. • Group for all users of FLICKR - No 30/60 Groups Limit • Florida's Cityscapes & Rural Areas • Downtown in Towns of all Sizes • The Sunshine State • Skylines and Downtowns • City, Urban & Engineering Images • !*All Around The World*! • All great photos - No 30/60 • Free our Flickr - No 30/60 • !* THE NEW SOUTH ✧ Please, ONLY QUALITY IMAGES!✧ • USA - United States (No 30/60 limit) • FLICKR INTERNATIONAL - No 30/60 Groups Limit • USA - Pictures (No 30/60 limit) • Beautiful Day or Night No 30/60 - No SL • No limit - No 30/60 • Buildings are beautiful - no 30/60 limit • TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY (no 30/60 rule) • Opt out no limits for art work! • Flickr (No 30/60 Group Limit) • No 30/60 Flickr - no SL • Todos los momentos no 30/60 • 100 YEARS & OLDER • NO 30/60 Family safe only • Urban travellers • Nice Places to Visit - No 30/60 Limit - Photos & Videos Welcome. • Post Anything You Like. No 30/60 • Pon color a tu vida (no blanco y negro) • Noche en la ciudad • All Your Photos and Mine (No 30/60 limit - Photos from anywhere) • A group for all type of photos but no porn (No 30 • Fotografías nocturnas (no ocasos) • ! ΙΙ TOURISM magazine ! • Fans of Flickr « less

Stats: 4,660 views / 7 comments