Ybor City in Tampa, Florida

Ybor City with its cosmopolitan shops and restaurants is a fascinating corner of Tampa.  It is named after its founder, Vicente Martinez Ybor.  In the 19th century there were revolutionary movements in Cuba because people wanted independence from Spain.  Some moved to the USA, including cigar makers who moved to Key West or to New York.  Ybor and a couple of others moved to Tampa in 1885. 

Ybor adopted the English Victorian mill owners’ idea of building homes for his workers.  In 9^th Avenue, just a short walk from the Ybor City Museum, are three of these wooden casitas, which are about a hundred years old.  They sit demurely in a row with steps up to the verandas - you can imagine people sitting there in the evening chatting to passing friends.

There are windows either side of the door which leads straight into the living room.  This is complete with furniture of the time, including some Cuban pieces.  Don’t be surprised to see a stove, it can get quite cold in Florida in the winter.  In one corner, to the left of the front door is a love-seat.  This is where the daughter of the house could sit with her boyfriend – in full view of the rest of the family.  If there was more than one daughter I expect they had to take it in turns!

Behind the living room is the main bedroom - the bed having a mosquito net.  Then there is the nursery with some wooden, hand-made toys.  At the back of the house is the kitchen, complete with a dining area in the corner.  I’ll bet it was hot in there when the lady of the house was cooking.

Ybor City grew quickly with the arrival of more Spaniards, Cubans and Afro-Cubans. Italians came from Sicily to work in the cigar factories, Germans built box factories and became the designers of the cigar labels and boxes.  Other Italians arrived, some of whom grew vegetables, had dairies or opened the grocery stores.  There were also Jews from Romania, who were bankers or shopkeepers.

And there was no racial strife.  They all mixed well together and had their own clubs which provided a full social life and, for a small sum, they also provided medical care for their members. 

The Ybor City Museum, where you can learn all about Ybor’s development, is in the 1923 Ferlita Bakery building. To visit La Casita, you have to go there to get your ticket and meet your guide.