A piece of Ybor City history is getting a facelift.
Hillsborough commissioners have invested $250,000 in grant money to renovate the Oliva Cigar Factory, which is located at 2008 N. 19th Street. The building was built in the late 1800s.
“What the Oliva Cigar Factory would do, they would bring in the material from Cuba, and from other countries and they would bring it on the first floor,” said developer Ariel Quintela, who is the president of Ariel Homes. “They would inspect it. They would bring it up to the second floor to fumigate to prepare it for the humidor and then they would take it up to the third floor to the humidor which would keep it fresh.”
Now developers are maintaining the original look as they transform the building into 38 apartments.
“What we want is the feel and look of an old cigar factory, but yet with the modern convenience of nice apartments,” said Quintela.
For those working on the project, it’s a unique venture.
“You can go out and build a new building and go, 'Wow, we did that,' ” said Ernie Hogue, vice president of construction. “But this is a totally different animal. This is something special. This is something from the heart.”
The Lions Eye Institute for Transplant and Research also received $250,000 from the county to improve its historical building. Those funds will be used to replace the building's windows.
The funding was provided through the county’s historic preservation challenge grant program.