Lopez & Llano Restaurant, 1402 - 1404 N 19th St

1402 North Nineteenth Street (Commercial), Tampa, Hillsborough County, FL Circa mid-1970s. Courtesy of the Historic American Buildings Survey. Library of Congress

The Perez, Lopez, and Dano Restaurant opened around 1926 at the corner of 19th St and 3rd Ave around 1926. It was ideally situated next to the Corral Wodiska y Co., Inc., cigar factory and across the street from the Phillip Shore grammar school. The two-story building at 1402 – 1404 19th St. was constructed with storefronts on the bottom floor and residential space on the second floor.

In 1927, the restaurant name changed to Lopez & Llano, and it was a popular neighborhood spot for 30 years, changing hands around 1960 and becoming Mr. Lucky’s by 1962. The Campo Hotel took over the second floor. At that time, Ybor City was in decline as cigar factories closed and workers moved away. By the late 1960s, half of the first-floor business (1402) had transformed into El Navia Spanish Sausage manufacturers, and the other half (1404) was vacant. “Sleeping rooms” on the 2nd floor were rented for $4 per week in 1967. In the early 1970s, the building housed the Sunshine Hotel, which lasted late into the 1980s.

In 2019, the building’s owners applied for a $65,595 grant to restore its exterior. But judging by its weathered appearance in 2025, it’s likely the grant was never awarded. Though its original charm still peeks through—especially in the decorative cornice and wrought-iron balcony—the century-old structure is clearly in need of preservation and some much-needed TLC.

 © Chip Weiner. All rights reserved

1402 North Nineteenth Street. 2023. © Chip Weiner.jpg

SOUTH FACADE - 1402 North Nineteenth Street. Circa mid-1970s. Courtesy of the Historic American Buildings Survey. Library of Congress

South Facade- 1402 North Nineteenth Street. 2023. © Chip Weiner.jpg

1402 - 1406 N 19th St 2023.© Chip Weiner.

1402 North Nineteenth Street rear 2023. © Chip Weiner.jpg