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Historic club fears impact of new apartment block

 
Pictured on the wall of Sociedad La Union Marti Maceo Club are namesakes Jose Marti, left, a 19th century Cuban activist, and Cuban Army of Independence Gen. Antonio Maceo.
Pictured on the wall of Sociedad La Union Marti Maceo Club are namesakes Jose Marti, left, a 19th century Cuban activist, and Cuban Army of Independence Gen. Antonio Maceo.
Published July 12, 2016

TAMPA — The Marti-Maceo Club has been a fixture in Ybor City since the early 1900s as a gathering spot for Tampa's Afro-Cuban population.

In more recent years, its focus has shifted to preserving the culture and way of life of Tampa's Cuban population, hosting happy hours and salsa evenings with Latin bands.

Now, club leaders say its future is under threat from a neighboring development project they say will make the Seventh Avenue location inaccessible for up to a year during construction. They fear it will starve the club of revenue from events like weddings and fundraisers that have kept it afloat even as membership has dwindled to about 80.

The project fueling those fears is The Marti, a four-story development of 100 apartments and 8,000 square feet of street level retail planned for a parking lot that the club leases from the city.

The lease agreement for that lot expires next year. In October, the Tampa City Council agreed to its sale to Ybor City developer Ariel Quintela and BluePearl Veterinary chain CEO Darryl Shaw for $792,000.

In addition to the loss of parking spaces, club president Sharon Gomez said the development will take away an alley on the north side of the club used by members to access it from Nuccio Parkway.

The club wants compensation from the developers, a request that has been refused, Gomez said.

"If we can't pay our bills, we cannot keep the club open," Gomez said. "We're not anti-development; we're pro culture. We're trying to keep our building whole."

The Marti is one of five apartment and mixed-use projects that Quintela and Shaw are developing in Ybor City. Other projects include the conversion of the old Oliva Cigar Factory, the Don Vicente de Ybor Historic Inn and the former Blues Ship Café.

Quintela said talks with the club are ongoing through attorneys for both sides.

"We've had cordial and productive meetings for over four months," Quintela said in a text message. "We have a written counter offer from them. So if they are trying to negotiate outside of what their attorney has proposed, this is news to me."

Established as a mutual aid society, the Marti-Maceo is one of the city's oldest ethnic clubs. Its original building was demolished during the urban renewal of Ybor City in the 1960s. The club moved to its current site, a former steelworkers building, in 1965.

The modest two-story brick building includes a mural that depicts the two men after whom the club is named: Cuban political activist Jose Marti and Cuban Army of Independence Gen. Antonio Maceo.

In 1989, state lawmakers approved a bill that recognized the importance of the club to Tampa's history and requested that the city and Ybor City should protect it from the effects of "urban renewal."

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Bob McDonaugh, Tampa's economic opportunity administrator, said the project has been a challenge for the developers since it must fit within three quarters of a street block. The developers have been working with the club to minimize the impact, including setting the building back from the club, he said.

"Setting the building back made sure the mural was still visible," McDonaugh said.

Contact Christopher O'Donnell at codonnell@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3446. Follow @codonnell_Times.