And this work can be costly — even seemingly minor details can cost tens of thousands of dollars. But it’s necessary work, according to Manteiga.
Ongoing restoration work at Ybor City’s Cuban Club includes custom-fabrication pieces of historic details. (Tiffany Razzano/Patch)
Preserving the Cuban Club goes beyond saving an old building, as the structure tells a uniquely American immigration story, he said.
Unlike many immigrant communities elsewhere in the country, Tampa’s Cuban immigrants included not only factory workers but cigar manufacturers, business owners and bankers who helped shape the city’s economy.
The Cuban Club served as far more than a gathering place for these immigrants. As a mutual aid society, members had access to healthcare, cultural programs, theater productions, sports leagues and social activities under one membership.
Manteiga believes organizations like the Cuban Club were among the country’s earliest examples of prepaid healthcare systems.