Centro Asturiano de Tampa, Spanish cultural center in Ybor City, Tampa, United States.
The Centro Asturiano is a pale yellow brick building at 1913 Nebraska Avenue, designed by Tampa architect M. Leo Elliott and in use since 1914. Tall columns frame arched windows above and rectangular windows below, with a patterned tile band and a balustrade along the flat roofline. A double staircase with railings flanks the centered entrance, lit by two globe streetlamps, and a black iron fence runs along the base.
The Centro Asturiano de Tampa grew out of a delegation of Havana's Centro Asturiano, chartered in Tampa in 1907; the Havana club, founded on 2 May 1886, owned the building and hospital. Dr. G.H. Altree became volunteer medical director on 24 March 1902, and the first Covadonga Sanitarium opened in 1905 with 54 beds. The present building has been in use since 1914 and was listed on the National Register on 24 July 1974.
The building hosted Spanish theatrical performances and continues to serve as a gathering place for cultural events today. You can see how the grand ballroom and theater shaped the social life of the community.
The building is primarily used for events, so interior spaces are not always open to the public. It is best to check in advance about current events and access times before visiting.
The organization operated its own hospital called El Sanatorio del Centro Asturiano from 1905 to 1990. This innovative project allowed the community to provide medical care according to modern standards of the time.
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