Tampa in Hillsborough County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

The Andres Diaz Building

Photographed By AGS Media, September 9, 2011

1. The Andres Diaz Building Marker

Inscription. In 1908 John Drew built this cigar factory for Andres Diaz and company of New York. One of the most modern of its day, it produced fine Havana cigars under the labels Terreno, Flor de A. Diaz and La Flor de Scott. West Tampa was becoming the Ciudad de Cigars, a world center for fine Havana cigar production. It attracted 178 cigar factories that employed some 8,000 workers. A. Diaz closed its operation in 1925, after which the building housed a number of other factories. Renovations began in 1980 to turn this architectural landmark into an office building.

Erected 1996 by the Tampa Historical Society and the West Tampa Centennial Society.
Marker donated by D. Russell and Karin Stahl.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1908.

Location. 27° 58.055′ N, 82° 29.347′ W. Marker is in Tampa, Florida, in Hillsborough County. Marker is at the intersection of North Habana Avenue and West Kathleen Street, on the left when traveling north on North Habana Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3102 North Habana Avenue, Tampa FL 33607, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Morgan Cigar Factory (approx. 0.4 miles away); Centro Español de West Tampa

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(approx. half a mile away); Franciscan Center, Founded in 1970 (approx. 0.7 miles away); Hugh C. Macfarlane (approx. ¾ mile away); Academy of The Holy Names (approx. ¾ mile away); The Beginning of the Cigar Industry in West Tampa (approx. ¾ mile away); West Tampa Free Public Library (approx. 0.8 miles away); The West Tampa Boys Club (approx. 0.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tampa.

More about this marker. The marker is located outside the front of the building, to the left when facing the entry stairway. The marker is capped with the seal of the former city of West Tampa.

Regarding The Andres Diaz Building. Andres Diaz & Co. sold the building to the Francisco Arango Company. Among the other companies which later called the building home was the Tampa Cuba Cigar Company.

More recently, the building was the Tampa home of the Church of Scientology. They have since relocated into a larger building (also a former cigar factory) in Tampa's Ybor City area.

The Andres Diaz Building is a Contributing Structure to the West
Photographed By AGS Media, September 9, 2011

2. The Andres Diaz Building
Note the "Church of Scientolgy" sign over the door. The church recently relocated to another former cigar factory.
Tampa Historic District, a National Historic District.

The Andres Diaz Building image. Click for full size.

Photographed By AGS Media, September 9, 2011

3. The Andres Diaz Building

Rear of building

Credits. This page was last revised on July 15, 2021. It was originally submitted on September 10, 2011, by Glenn Sheffield of Tampa, Florida. This page has been viewed 5,428 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 10, 2011, by Glenn Sheffield of Tampa, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.