King Corona Cafe and Cigar Company in Ybor City, Florida

This post is a departure from the history of old buildings in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The building shown in the picture is the King Corona Cafe and Cigar Company in Ybor City, Florida. While I do not know the history of this particular building, I still felt it rated a place in The History of Old Buildings. The King Corona Cafe is located on a street that was designated in 2008 one of 10 of the greatest streets in America by the American Planning Association.

This morning on our way back to Michigan from Sarasota, Florida we realized a wish of my husband Jon. That was to stop at the at the King Corona Cafe and take in a bit of history in Ybor City, Florida. Ybor City is where in 1886, the cuban cigar making industry took root and flourished thanks to the vision of Cuban cigar maker Vincente Martinez Ybor. The work force was made up of Cuban, Spanish and Italian immigrants. This industry at one time produced over 800 millions cigars per year. As with many urban areas, this area went into economic freefall for many historic and economic reasons. It is now in a period of rebirth. The street - 7th Street - where the cafe is located has a number of interesting restaurants and shops and the buildings have are interesting to look at. Within blocks of 7th street there are many homes that have the shotgun look similar to the cigar workers cottages you see in Key West.

For more information on Ybor City check out Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ybor_City,_Tampa.