Ybor Factory Building, Tampa
The Ybor Factory Building is a significant historical landmark, occupying an entire city block. Architect C. E. Parcell designed the building, which Vicente Martinez-Ybor constructed in 1886 after relocating his Prince of Wales cigar line from Key West to the new company town he founded northeast of Tampa in 1885. The headquarters of Ybor鈥檚 holding company was built around the same time, directly across 9th Avenue in the The Pasaje building.
When it was completed, the three-story structure was the world鈥檚 largest cigar factory and Tampa鈥檚 first brick cigar factory. Skilled cigar makers produced hundreds of millions of cigars over the following decades on wooden workbenches in the building鈥檚 sunlit rolling rooms.
After Ybor鈥檚 death in 1896, the factory changed ownership but remained productive until after World War II, when the cigar industry and Ybor City declined. The buildings sat vacant for several decades before being repurposed as gallery and studio spaces for artists and later transformed into a festival marketplace called Ybor Square in the mid-1970s. On November 15, 1972, the Ybor Factory Building was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
In 2002, most of the buildings were converted into office spaces, while the former tobacco storage warehouse housed a Spaghetti Warehouse franchise until 2016. In 2010, the Church of Scientology purchased the building to consolidate its facilities in Ybor City and West Tampa.
When it was completed, the three-story structure was the world鈥檚 largest cigar factory and Tampa鈥檚 first brick cigar factory. Skilled cigar makers produced hundreds of millions of cigars over the following decades on wooden workbenches in the building鈥檚 sunlit rolling rooms.
After Ybor鈥檚 death in 1896, the factory changed ownership but remained productive until after World War II, when the cigar industry and Ybor City declined. The buildings sat vacant for several decades before being repurposed as gallery and studio spaces for artists and later transformed into a festival marketplace called Ybor Square in the mid-1970s. On November 15, 1972, the Ybor Factory Building was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
In 2002, most of the buildings were converted into office spaces, while the former tobacco storage warehouse housed a Spaghetti Warehouse franchise until 2016. In 2010, the Church of Scientology purchased the building to consolidate its facilities in Ybor City and West Tampa.
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Ybor Factory Building on Map
Sight Name: Ybor Factory Building
Sight Location: Tampa, USA (See walking tours in Tampa)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Tampa, USA (See walking tours in Tampa)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Tampa, Florida
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Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
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Travel Distance: 2.1 Km or 1.3 Miles
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Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.2 Km or 2 Miles