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My trip to Tampa (January 1994)

Tampa

Domz
2004-04-06 19:49:10

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had increased Tampa's population to 30,000.

Ybor City was an important focal point that lead to the Spanish-American War in 1898. In the 1890's, Cuban insurgents attempted to reclaim their island from oppressive Royal Spanish control and, in 1893, thousands of cigar workers cheered the Cuban patriot, Jose Marti. Marti, from the wrought iron steps of the Ybor factory, pleaded for men, money, and arms for the insurgents. Marti was killed in action in 1895 but his dream was realized in 1898 when thousands of U.S. troops arrived in Tampa and Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders galloped to the rescue on Ybor's streets full of excited insurgents.

When Ybor died, a Cigar Trust was organized among the factory workers. The Trust tried to introduce "efficiency" into what was essentially an artistic handcraft. In addition, Tampa's leaders aggressively coveted the rich industry. These influences provoked a series of strikes by cigar workers in the early part of the century.

The cigar workers, after a half a century of success, abruptly fell victim to the automated machine-made cigar. By 1950, many of the big factories had closed or left town. Only a few small "buckeye" operators kept alive the handrolling art, and a centuries-old craft was nearly lost.

In the late 1960's, an ill-conceived Urban Renewal program began, and is remembered today for its having renewed nothing whatsoever. Instead, it bulldozed a giant swath through the residential heart of Ybor City north of 7th Avenue, uprooting generations of families from their ancestral dwellings. After the bulldozers, the town stagnated, and for years there remained only long vacant stretches of sand and weed-filled blocks.

In 1972, Harris Mullen, the publisher of Florida Trend magazine, purchased an abandoned factory from the Hav-A-Tampa Cigar Corporation. Mullen envisioned an ethnic mall complex of specialty shops and restaurants. Because of this vision, Ybor City is one of the most unique historic and cultural attractions in the state. Ybor Square has sparked the restoration of the vital "heart" of a city, a priceless portion of its character and cultural heritage.