Located along one side of the city’s Centennial Park is the Ybor City Museum. Housed in the former Ferlita Bakery building, it was originally known as “La Joven Francesca.” (The Young Francisco).
Established in 1896 by Francisco Ferlita, a Cuban-Italian immigrant, this was the first U.S. bakery to specialize in making Cuban bread - i.e. similar to French or Italian baguette-like loaves but made with all-white flour and using lard or vegetable shortening. At the time, the bakery created between 300 and 500 loaves per day, each selling for three to five cents a loaf. The bread was delivered every morning to local homes with sturdy nails driven into their door frames on which the loaves were impaled.
A devastating fire destroyed the original bakery in 1923. It was eventually rebuilt, this time much larger, making it THE major bread supplier in Tampa. The bakery finally closed for good in 1973. It was then totally renovated and transformed into a museum, in 1977, dedicated to conserving the city’s rich history and heritage.
Established in 1896 by Francisco Ferlita, a Cuban-Italian immigrant, this was the first U.S. bakery to specialize in making Cuban bread - i.e. similar to French or Italian baguette-like loaves but made with all-white flour and using lard or vegetable shortening. At the time, the bakery created between 300 and 500 loaves per day, each selling for three to five cents a loaf. The bread was delivered every morning to local homes with sturdy nails driven into their door frames on which the loaves were impaled.
A devastating fire destroyed the original bakery in 1923. It was eventually rebuilt, this time much larger, making it THE major bread supplier in Tampa. The bakery finally closed for good in 1973. It was then totally renovated and transformed into a museum, in 1977, dedicated to conserving the city’s rich history and heritage.
Cuban-Italian immigrant Francisco Ferlita established his bakery in Ybor City toward the end of the 19th century...
...and a quarter of a century later it had become,THE major supplier of Cuban bread in Tampa ( making approximately 35,000 loaves per year).
After Francisco died in 1931, his five sons continued the business until its final closing in 1973. Following a total renovation of the building, it reopened in 1977 as a museum...
...dedicated to preserving the history and heritage of this unique city, totally created, populated, and owned by immigrants.
Cigar manufacturing was what made this neighborhood of Tampa famous.
Much of the tasks in making cigars is repetitive and somewhat boring. In order to entertain employees while they worked, “readers” were hired (and paid for by the workers themselves) to inform them of local news. He would also read poems and books to the workers. The employees themselves would vote on what was read to them.
Located next to the bakery-museum is this Mediterranean-style garden which is often used as the site for private parties, wedding receptions and/or corporate events.
Founded in the 1880’s by Vincent Martinez-Ybor, the city quickly grew into the cigar capital of the world. In order to attract the immigrants he would need to make his cigars, Ybor built hundreds of small housing, some of which have been preserved .
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