Pronounced EE-bor, the Ybor City Historic District became a U.S. National Historic Landmark District on December 14, 1990. This slice of Tampa was developed by businessman Vicente Martinez Ybor beginning in 1886, and for a time it was the world’s leading supplier of cigars. Take a breath and you’ll notice an unparalleled collection of Spanish-Cuban–influenced architecture and the large, historic cigar factory buildings and associated infrastructure that once powered the neighborhood.
The district contains a total of 956 historic buildings, a compact city of homes, shops and workplaces that tell that story. Nearby, the Ybor City Museum State Park occupies the former Ferlita Bakery building, originally La Joven Francesca, on 9th Avenue; rangers there lead tours of the gardens and the “casitas,” the small homes of cigar company workers, and exhibits with period photos and a video explain the founding and the cigar-making industry. A city-sanctioned Latino Barrio Commission is charged with preserving the historic fabric you see.
The Spanish-Cuban facades, the cigar factories and the streets that frame this district — 6th Avenue, 13th Street, 10th Avenue, 22nd Street and East Broadway between 13th and 22nd Streets — wait for you to explore.