El Circulo Cubano (Cuban Club)
N 27° 57.738 W 082° 26.664
17R E 357925 N 3093865
One of several historic clubs featuring a historic marker in Ybor City.
Waymark Code: WM6ZVQ
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 08/11/2009
Views: 15
Late 19th and early 20th century Cuban immigration to the United States was impressive for the craft talents brought to the country. Along with their Spanish counterparts, skilled Cuban cigarmakers made Tampa's hand-rolled cigars world-famous. As early as 1899 Cuban immigrants formed recreational societies with varying degrees of success, and in 1902 Cuban workers founded El Circulo Cubano as a mutual aid society to "bind all Cuban residents of Tampa into a fraternal group, to offer assistance and help to the sick."
When fire destroyed the first clubhouse in 1916, members initiated plans for its replacement. The present four-story, yellow brick building with Neoclassical design elements sits on the original site. Constructed in 1917, the building contained a theater, pharmacy, library, ballroom, and cantina. Imported tile, stained glass windows and elaborately carved scraffito spandrells decorated the structure, and the ballroom ceiling displayed elaborate murals. The clubhouse provided a gathering place for members and served as a unifying force in the Cuban community. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Marker Number: F-382
Date: 1998
County: Hillsborough
Marker Type: City
Sponsored or placed by: Ybor City Development Corporation and Florida Department of State
Website: [Web Link]
|
Visit Instructions:
In your log, please say if you learned something new, and if you took any extra time to explore the area once you stopped at the historic marker waymark.
Please post a photo at the marker location.