For the past 5 years the community just north of Ybor City has a planned house tour of rehabilitated and renovated time capsuled houses. The 12 stop historical tour is an annual charity drive for the The tour planning & work intertwines the community residents, the businesses re-building in the down trodden area, new investors and interested preservationists. This was a major growing part of the expansive building of Ybor City and the area was cut off with Ybor by the I-4 project in the 1960’s.

    The eclectic mix of cigar worker homes, bungalows, dilapidated businesses, cigar factories and transformed historic buildings starting anew. The old Centro Austriano Hospital was rightly around the corner for the medical care for all the cigar workers on 21st Ave. Tampa’s early leaders recognized the need for recreational facilities. That is demonstrated by the huge 6 acres Cuscaden Park with all the baseball fields, walking gazebo areas and the famous decorated above ground Cuscaden swimming pool that has historical recognition. The park was named after Ohio transplant to Tampa, Arthur Cuscaden. He planted one of the first orange orchards and donated the grove to the city.

    Starting off at the benefit to the community registration area was the Academy Prep Center in Tampa. Built in 1908, the school was one of the first public schools in the Ybor City area and was also known as the “English School” teaching the children of Cuban, Spanish and Italian immigrant workers children to learn English. The restoration of all the wood is beautifully restored. The school had been closed from 1971 til the restoration and re-opening in 2003.

    Other great stops included the JC Newman Cigar Factory, Tampa’s renovated Fires Station # 2 and a dozen private beautifully rehabbed homes that opened there doors for review. The old homes is a preservationists and  Gay mecca of old historical building renaissance of a new upcoming charge and thriving part of old Tampa.

    Thank You to all the VM Ybor volunteers for putting on the remarkable 2013 historical house tour.