V. Guerra, Diaz & Co. Cigar Factory

V. Guerra, Diaz Cigar Company

Originally known as El Modelo, this three-story, 27,462 square-foot cigar factory, once located at 201 North 26th Street in East Tampa, was built in 1899 for the Cuban American Cigar Manufacturing Company. This factory was later occupied by the V. Guerra, Diaz Cigar Company, owned by Frank Reyes Diaz and his uncle, Don Vicente Guerra, a Spanish immigrant from Rennes, Asturias, who had arrived in Tampa in 1894. Guerra moved his cigar operations from New York to East Tampa in 1895 to a site that would become known as the Corina factory. In 1900, Guerra’s daughter, Margaret, married her cousin Frank R. Diaz.

The Palmetto Beach neighborhood in East Tampa developed around four cigar factories in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Among these was a three-story, 38,405-square-foot facility at 202 South 22nd Street, built in 1895 for the Corina Company, owned by V. Guerra. In 1897, the firm merged with La Flor del Fumar and Estanillo cigar factories of Havana, Cuba, to form the Cuban American Manufacturing Company, with V. Guerra as Vice President and General Manager, a role he maintained until his death in January 1909.

El Modelo Factory

In June 1897, the El Modelo Cigar Co. relocated from Jacksonville to a West Tampa factory recently vacated by La Hilda Cigar Co. at the corner of Garcia Avenue and Arch Street. El Modelo was owned by Gabriel Hidalgo Gato, whose father, Edward H. Gato, was the largest cigar manufacturer in Key West. By 1899, the firm had been absorbed by the Cuban American Manufacturing Company. El Modelo moved operations to a new 27,462-square-foot factory in East Tampa, constructed under the supervision of V. Guerra. 1899 Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps note this building as “Being built.”

The Cuban American Manufacturing Company did not operate for long at this location, as indicated by a 1903 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, which notes the factory as “not in operation.” This was due in part to the company’s struggle with labor retention after many workers unionized under La Resistencia. In response to strikes over unfair wages, V. Guerra reportedly stated that the Cuban American Manufacturing Co. would recognize “anything else but free work for a freeman.” When the factory was sold in 1904, it was noted in a Tampa Tribune article that “little work has been done in El Modelo factory.”

According to Jamie Montilla, historical reports indicate that when the Cuban American Manufacturing Co. closed its Tampa facilities, it relocated operations to Cuba. While it is unclear exactly when the company stopped operating, it was notably absent from Guillermo Jimenez’s comprehensive list of 1958 Cuban businesses in his book Las Empresas de Cuba 1958, failing to appear as a manufacturer, leaf supplier, or warehouse, although records show it was ultimately one of the cigar companies nationalized by Fidel Castro’s government in 1960.

In 1902, V. Guerra entered into a partnership with his nephew and son-in-law, Frank Reyes Diaz, to form V. Guerra, Diaz & Co. The company began operations by opening a branch factory in West Tampa at the former Stadecker and De Armas facility, located at Armenia Avenue and Oak Street. By 1904, the company relocated its production to the recently vacated Leopold Powell & Co. factory.

In 1904, V. Guerra, Diaz & Co. bought the former El Modelo factory and the surrounding worker cottages from the Cuban American Cigar Manufacturing Company for the production of their “La Matilde” brand of cigars. Following the Great West Tampa Fire, which destroyed their branch facility on April 4, 1904, V. Guerra, Diaz & Co. consolidated manufacturing operations into La Matilde.

According to a Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, by 1915, this location became known as the La Mega factory, named after one of the company’s premier cigar brands alongside “La Matilde,” “La Notica”, and “La Flor.” When V. Guerra passed away in 1909, Diaz, already a prominent West Tampa businessman who owned multiple ventures, including a car dealership, took full control of the company.

Later Occupants of the Factory

V. Guerra, Diaz & Co. occupied the former El Modelo factory until 1943. During World War II, its proximity to MacDill Air Force Base made it an ideal location for a naval barracks and training facility. After the war, the factory was shared by several tenants, including Tampa Tiger Cigars, the Haas Cigar Company, and John Marrian Cigars. In 1956, the V. Guerrieri Cigar Company took over the space, operating it into the 1980s as a tobacco storage facility and small, family-run operation. Prior to this relocation, V. Guerrieri had been based out of a factory at 2935 North 21st Street in Ybor City. Vincent Guerrieri, an Italian immigrant and founder of the V. Guerrieri Cigar Company, died on December 1, 1982.

Destruction

In December 2000, a small fire broke out in the building, but was able to be contained by firefighters before any serious damage was done. On July 5, 2015, firefighters responded to a fire at the old factory shortly after midnight. The firefighters couldn’t enter the building for safety reasons, so they fought the fire from the outside, but were able to get the fire under control within two hours. The building collapsed after it suffered heavy fire damage to the second and third floors. At around noon that same day, firefighters were still spraying water on the smoldering remains of the building. With an estimated value of $284,000, the Fire Marshall declared the building a total loss.

The V. Guerra, Diaz & Company was a contributing structure of the Palmetto Beach Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 14, 2012. The factory was one of four cigar factories built in the area, and only two exist today: The Corina Factory and the Salvador Rodriguez Cigar Factory. La Noticia Cigar Company factory, located at 404 28th Street, was demolished to make way for the Selmon Expressway. After the V. Guerra, Diaz Cigar Factory burned down, the lot remained vacant until 2022, when construction began on the Palmetto Beach Villas, townhouses which the developer has described as “Dutch West Indies-inspired.”

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