FL-F386 El Centro Asturiano de Tampa

Marker text: EL CENTRO ASTURIANO de TAMPA

Spanish immigrants from the province of Asturias formed El Centro Asturiano de Tampa in 1902 as a mutual aid society to meet the recreational, social, educational, and medical needs of its members. In an effort to broaden the concept of cooperative medicine, the club operated a hospital El Sanatorio del Centro Asturiano from 1905 until its closing in 1990.

The society built the present three-story yellow brick and stone building on the corner of Palm and Nebraska Avenues in 1914 after a fire destroyed the original clubhouse building. Designed in the Neoclassical style, the building features stylized classical columns and a sweeping stone stair leading to the main entrance. Major interior spaces include a grand theater, ballroom, and cantina with a 50-foot onyx bar. With a membership open to all, El Centro Asturiano quickly became the center of Spanish theater and opera hosting some of the finest performers in the nation. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Sponsored by The City of Tampa
Ybor City Development Corporation
and Florida Department of State,
Sandra B. Mortham, Secretary of State, 1998