West Tampa - Albany Avenue

Turn right onto Cherry Street off Howard Avenue and you get a glimpse of this majestic tower. From a block away, you get the immediate sensation that something spectacular must be at the foot of this tower.

2301 N. Albany

This factory was built around 1905 to 1909 and was designed by Fred J. James. It had clocks on all four of the eight sides of its seven-story water tower and accommodated 700 workers of the Pendas y Alvarez Cigar Company which had been in business since 1897 at 1416 Spring St. in Tampa. The company moved here in May of 1909. The factory closed during the general strike in 1910, and then reopened in January of 1911, and finally closed in December of 1918. Pendas y Alvarez produced such brands as La Mia, Webster, Farragut, Flor de Y Pendas, and Alvarez. (source "West Tampa Historical Trail." )

The building was then purchased by E. Regensburg and Sons on May 20, 1920. Read about the 1921 hold-up attempt on an E. Regensburg pay car carrying over $20,000 in cash and see photos of this factory and their Ybor City factory. The Hillsborough Box Company bought this factory in 1946 and in 2007 was the home of Tampa Tarp and Florida Umbrella.

Cick to see close up

of the clock tower

An excellent history of Tampa, including West Tampa, is Steve Rajtar's 2007 book, "A Guide to Historic Tampa". It is organized by time period and grouped by geographical location which allows you to follow a route through the historic areas to view the sights. Preview this book at Google

Read an excellent article with great pictures about the cigar industry and the effects of the frequent labor unrest in Tampa.