Cespedes Hall

Cespedes Hall. . , Cespedes Hall served the people of West Tampa from 1895 to 1898. During that short time. the large, elegant wooden structure was home to a Cuban patriotic society. La Sociedad Patriotica Cespedes de West Tampa, which funded the $20.000 construction cost, plus a school, West Tampa's government offices, an opera hall, and several businesses., West Tampa's first mayor, Fernando Figueredo Socarras, was the driving force behind Cespedes Hall, which he named in honor of his mentor, Carlos Manuel de Cespedes, who was a hero of the Ten Years War, Cuba's first attempt at independence from Spain., Cespedes Hall opened the same year that Cuban patriots began another war of independence from Spain. The Hall served as a rallying point for Tampa and West Tampa cigar workers who donated their time and money - and in some cases volunteered to fight - for the independence movement., In late 1898, the City of West Tampa, who owned the building. decided to demolish it in favor of a two story brick structure. Fear of fire, especially in the face of two recent lightning strikes to the wooden building, likely prompted the decision., Though it stood for less than five years West Tampa's Cespedes Hall was an instant landmark and an integral part of the city's Cuban population.