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Commission recommends local landmark designation for Nieto Fuente Buckeye cigar factory at 2708 N. 18th St.
Summary
The Historic Preservation Commission voted unanimously on Sept. 16 to recommend that Tampa City Council designate the Nieto Fuente building at 2708 North 18th Street as a local historic landmark, citing its association with Tampa’s cigar industry and its status as a rare Buckeye-style factory.
The City of Tampa Historic Preservation Commission voted unanimously Sept. 16 to recommend that City Council designate the Nieto Fuente building at 2708 North 18th Street as a local historic landmark, citing its association with the city’s cigar industry, the building’s use by the Arturo Fuente company, and its representation of the Buckeye-style small cigar factory.
Heather Bonds, historic preservation specialist, presented the nomination and said staff found the property met local landmark criteria under section 27-2-57 and National Register standards. Bonds told the commission the building "is the only known remaining example of a Buckeye cigar factory in Tampa" and that alterations associated with the Arturo Fuente company have acquired their own historic significance.
Applicant architect Roger Grunke described the structure as a modest frame vernacular factory built about 1923 and detailed a program of rehabilitation and adaptive reuse that would create event space, retail, a covered cigar lounge and four residential units. Grunke told commissioners the designation would "open the door for that entire area" to further investment and clarified that the vote before the commission was to recommend designation, not to approve any specific future rehabilitation details.
Owner Liliana Fuentes told the commission she purchased the building through Black Orchard LLC and said she was "honored" and intends to restore the structure to preserve her family's legacy in Ybor City. Bonds noted that if the commission recommends designation and City Council approves it, proposed exterior changes would then go through the city’s design review and certificate-of-appropriateness process and the owner might become eligible for tax credits and other incentives.
Commission discussion reviewed the building’s history: staff and the applicant presented evidence from Sanborn maps, city directories and a forensic investigation behind later drywall that showed earlier window and opening locations. Bonds and Grunke described the building’s timeline and the Arturo Fuente company’s tenure there in the 1960s, linking the property to the family business’s growth after the Cuban embargo.
A motion to recommend City Council approve the local landmark designation was made by Commissioner Bruce Gibson and seconded by Commissioner Steven Sutton. The commission voted unanimously to recommend designation; the vote will be transmitted to the City Council for final action.
If City Council accepts the recommendation, the designation will add the Nieto Fuente building to Tampa’s local landmark inventory and require future exterior changes to be reviewed for compatibility with the property’s historic character. Staff also noted the nomination adds a building type—Buckeye cigar factory—not currently represented in the city’s landmark inventory.
