The A. Santaella factory was built in 1904 after two other structures at this location were destroyed by fire. At the time it was one of the largest and well equipped factories in Ybor.
Cigar Brands: Optimo, El Capitan General, Alluro, Centropolis, Best of the Best
The factory was owned by Antonio Santaella from Seville, Spain and Sol Hamburger from Bavaria. They were long time business partners who started in Key West before coming to Ybor City.
Between 1918 and 1919, the A. Santaella factory produced over forty-five million cigars.
In 1946, Santaella and Hamburger opened a factory in Clearwater, Florida, but they eventually closed it. In 1955, the factory shown here was sold to Universal Cigar Corporation.
Optimo customers included Winston Churchill and Babe Ruth. The “Babe” loved Tampa and personally visited the factory often to buy cigars and sign autographs.
Along the front and sides are the faded words “Southern Mill Creek Products Co.”
Photo Gallery (click images for full view)
There are claims that the old building is haunted. In 2006, Tampa Ghost Watchers studied the building. Their results were never posted.
The factory was purchased in 1997 by the Ellis and Van Pelt families. In 2007, they converted portions of the factory into the “West Tampa Center for the Arts”. The upper floors of the factory have been converted into lofts for artists to work in. The rest of the building is used as a warehouse and furniture clearance center. Throughout the building, the Ellis-Van Pelt families have saved and displayed cigar related artifacts that were found when they purchased the building.