E. H. Steinberg Building, 1611 7th Ave

E.H. Steinberg Building, with the Avon Theater, 1611 7th Avenue. Circa 1985. Gandy Collection. Courtesy of the University of South Florida Digital Collection

E.H. Steinberg Building, housing the Tangra Lounge,1611 7th Avenue- 2023 © Chip Weiner

Advertisements from 1912 trace Steinberg’s Department Store back to 1889 and promote a full range of men’s, women’s, and children’s fashions. The store famously urged shoppers to “spend a nickel (on the streetcar) and save a dollar” compared to downtown prices. It even operated a mail-order service, an early convenience for Ybor residents.

Steinberg’s first location was at 1410 7th Avenue; it relocated to 1611 7th Avenue in 1909 after losing its original lease. Beyond retail, Edward. H. Steinberg was deeply integrated into the fabric of Ybor City—serving as a director of the Bank of Ybor City and operating two businesses in Cuba. He died in 1925. The store closed in the early 1930s, marking the end of a long local run.

After a major rehabilitation in 1937, L. Wynne, newly arrived from Alabama, opened Wynne’s Department Store in the space. Its grand opening drew heavy crowds, but the success was short-lived; by early 1939, Wynne’s had shuttered. Several small retail businesses opened and closed in the following years. The building regained its life in the early 1960s as the Garcia Brothers Family Department Store. Co-owner Neno Garcia passed away in 1966, and the store ultimately closed in 1970.

By the early 1980s, the space had shifted from retail to entertainment, housing the Avon Theater, known for live music and comedy performances.

Newspaper reports later claimed a suspicious four-alarm fire caused $50,000 in damage to the Steinberg building in 1994, but those accounts were incorrect. The fire occurred next door at 1613 7th Avenue, not at 1611, which remained standing.

After sitting vacant for nearly two decades, the building was rehabilitated in 2003 during Ybor City’s nightclub boom. A balcony was added, and the interior was refurbished, including the installation of an elevator. Gerardi Construction planned an 8,100-square-foot, two-story bar called Fired Up, complete with a firefighter theme. Records suggest the concept never opened to the public.

The space returned to nightlife use when Tangra Nightclub opened in the first week of December 2019. Today, it remains part of Ybor City’s ever-evolving club scene, layered atop more than a century of retail, entertainment, and neighborhood history. In 2023, The Tampa Bay Times reported that the club received more than 300 police calls, with more than 50 for disturbances and more than a dozen for fighting.