Before construction in 1896, this land was the site of Government Spring, which supplied water to locals and Fort Brooke. Vin­cente Martinez Ybor and partner Edward Manara founded the brewery and claimed that the spring water gave its beer a unique taste. The brewery gained popularity and became a leading beer exporter to Cuba. La Tropical, shown in the Burgert photo, was the brewery’s flagship brand. Business struggled during Prohibition, when the brewery turned to manufacturing soft drinks. After repeal, the name changed to Tampa Florida Brewery (as seen in the photo) and survived until 1961.

Corral Wodiska & Co., a cigar manufacturer, took over much of the structure as a warehouse and bricked over many of the windows to keep the tobacco fresh. During the Cold War, the building also served as a bomb shelter. It remains the tallest building in Ybor and is now owned and occupied by the Swope Rodante Law Firm, which completed a multi-million-dollar complex restoration in 2001.

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