Circulo Cubano (Cuban Club) - Tampa, FL
N 27° 57.738 W 082° 26.664
17R E 357925 N 3093865
One of many historic clubs in the historic Ybor City district.
Waymark Code: WM6ZVT
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 08/11/2009
Views: 3
"(13) CIRCULO CUBANO (CUBAN CLUB) (private), SW. corner loth
Ave. and i4th St., is a three-story buff brick building with two-story
wings. The murals of Cuba Libre on the ceiling of the ballroom, and the
leaded glass windows, are noteworthy. This was known as El Club Na-
tionale Cubano before Cuba was made a Republic."
--Florida A Guide To The Southernmost State, 1939
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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.
Ybor City Development Corporation and Florida Department of State, 1998
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It is unclear as to the current use of the building. Like many of the others it could be rented for private functions. Has a bust of Jose Marti and two Florida Historic Markers.
Book: Florida
Page Number(s) of Excerpt: 292
Year Originally Published: 1939
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