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L'Unione Italiana, The Italian Club, is a historic social society in
L'Unione Italiana, The Italian Club, is a historic social society in Tampa
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...
's Ybor City
Ybor City ( ) is a historic neighborhood just northeast of downtown Tampa, downtown Tampa, Florida, United States. It was founded in the 1880s by Vicente Martinez-Ybor and other cigar manufacturers and populated by thousands of immigrants, mainly ...
neighborhood. The group's building was designed by Tampa architect M. Leo Elliott. It is located at 1731 East Seventh Avenue.
History
Originally founded as a mutual-aid society for Italian members in 1894 predominantly serving Italian immigrants, membership in the Italian Club grew from 107 members at founding to over 3,000 members by 1935. The original building, built in 1911, burned down in 1914. An entirely new building was constructed on East 7th Avenue in Tampa's Ybor City, completed in 1918 and still standing as of 2022. Club membership entitled members to health insurance, including sick and death benefits for members.Santo Trafficante Sr.
Santo Trafficante Sr. (May 28, 1886 – August 11, 1954) was a Sicily, Sicilian-born mobster, and father of the powerful mobster Santo Trafficante Jr.
Santo Trafficante Sr. gained power as a mobster in Tampa, Florida and ruled the Italian-A ...
was a member of L'Unione Italiana, and he was buried in L'Unione Italiana Cemetery, which the Italian Club purchased and dedicated at its founding in 1894.
On December 9, 2018 the Italian Club celebrated the 100th anniversary of the building.
On November 5, 2022, former Italian Club president Jamie Granell was awarded the Palo Longo Award; the award highlights an individual’s commitment to spend their lives perpetuating Italian traditions and heritage and helping pass down those traditions for future generations.
Festa Italiana
Held each spring within weeks of Easter Sunday, Festa Italiana is a weekend of events, wine tastings, bocce ball tournaments, and celebrations celebrating Italian culture and heritage in Tampa Bay.See also
* Circulo Cubano de Tampa (Cuban Club) *Centro Asturiano de Tampa
The Centro Asturiano is a historic site in Ybor City, Tampa, Florida. It is located at 1913 Nebraska Avenue. On July 24, 1974, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It was designed by Tampa architect M. Leo Elliott.
His ...
(Asturian Spanish Club)
References
{{coord, 27.9601, -82.4394, type:landmark_region:US-FL, display=title Buildings and structures in Tampa, Florida Italian-American culture in Tampa, Florida