Get an intimate look at historic Ybor City. Join the Buildings Alive! Ybor City Architecture Hop tonight, 5-10 p.m., for behind-the-scenes tours of several notable structures that fall within Tampa’s National Landmark Historic District.
Many of these buildings, today run by private businesses, have been preserved, rehabilitated or restored, and adapted to meet modern needs. And for the third year, the Ybor City Museum Society is opening several of these buildings up to the public for one evening only.
What many people don’t realize is there are nearly 1,000 structures of historical importance in Ybor City, said YCMS president and CEO Chantal Hevia.
“These historically significant buildings are part of Ybor’s early days, an important part of its history,” Hevia said. “And quite a lot of these buildings have been repurposed and used for other things.”
One of this year’s stops, J.C. Newman Cigar Company, is the only cigar factory still operating in Ybor today — and also one of the few stops on the tour to maintain its original use.
Given Ybor’s reputation as the Cigar Capital of the World, “I think people will be very interested [in this stop,]” Hevia said. “They have a great museum that showcases Ybor’s cigar history. Plus, they’ll get an idea for how large those factories were.”
Another building on the tour that has retained its original function is the Cuban Club, Hevia said. With its original theater and ballroom restored, the venue is often used for community events.
“It’s a beautiful representation of what the building looked like in its early days,” she said.
Another stop is the 74-year-old building on Columbus Drive owned by Design Styles Architecture. When the firm relocated to from Clearwater to Tampa, it spent about $300,000 to restore the former family-owned grocery store. The building is the perfect example of how businesses operated in Ybor's early years, Hevia said.
"The grocery store was below, on the first floor, and the family lived upstairs," she said. "It was the classic kind of format for people who owned businesses."
Then there’s The Don Vicente Inn, which originally operated as an early medical clinic. For a small fee per week, sometimes as low as 25 cents, families would receive medical coverage, Hevia said.
Other buildings featured on this hop include: USAmeriBank, Carne Chop House, Florida Business Interiors, and TMD Windows and Doors.
The Jolley Trolley will shuttle guests between stops.
Proceeds from this event will benefit the YCMS. The architecture hop kicks off at 5 p.m. and ends with an after party at the Ybor City Museum State Park Garden from 8 to 10 p.m.
Cost is $35 per person; $25 for YCMS members.
For more information, go here.