Adaptive Reuse at U-Haul Moving & Storage of Historic Ybor City

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2309 Angel Oliva Senior St Tampa, FL 33605
(U-HAUL Water Tower Exit 1 off I-4, 2309 N 18th ST. Tampa FL 33605)

(813) 247-5936

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(813) 247-5936

2309 Angel Oliva Senior St
Tampa, FL 33605
(U-HAUL Water Tower Exit 1 off I-4, 2309 N 18th ST. Tampa FL 33605)

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Mon-Thur: 7 am–7 pm
Fri: 7 am–8 pm
Sat: 7 am–7 pm
Sun: 9 am–5 pm

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Adaptive Reuse in Tampa, FL at U-Haul Moving & Storage of Tampa

Building History

In the heart of the Historic Ybor District, known for its diverse culture and delicious cuisine, the original Sanchez y Haya (Haya’s Factory) was built in 1906. Ignacio Haya and Serafin Sanchez were two close friends who saw potential in the future city of Ybor, made smart investments in land throughout the area and had ambitious business plans. Together they built an industrious factory that would grow to produce 500,000 cigars each month on average. The very first factory building structure was named “Factory No. 1”. Unfortunately, the original factory building was destroyed by a fire in 1908. The present factory building was completed in 1912 to accommodate more workers and mass production.

The duo’s very first cigar was produced on April 13, 1886, bringing a whole new outlook to the cigar industry. They were the first to buy the raw tobacco leaves from Havana, Cuba and assemble the rolled cigars once in the United States, cleverly avoiding expensive import taxes and fees. One of the most well-known and popular cigars they produced was named the "Americus Cigar". Unfortunately, the factory began to experience financial decline in the 1940s, in part due to the rise in popularity of cigarettes and the aftermath of the great depression.

From the late 1880s to the early 1950s, Ybor City, Tampa’s National Historic Landmark District, was the Cigar Capital of the World. Production was handled by talented cigar makers whose worldwide club of cigar aficionados willingly paid premium prices for pure Cuban-leaf, hand-rolled cigars. The “clear Havanas” were manufactured with pride and love in the famous factories of this historic section of Tampa.

Sanchez & Haya, one of the larger cigar factories, stood for many years as a local landmark. This location was proudly acquired by U-Haul in 1976. Adaptive reuse building conversions allow U-Haul to promote infill development to meet citizens’ needs while preserving the natural resources and land normally required for new construction. Adaptive reuse also allows resources to be focused on integrating environmentally thoughtful features into the existing building rather than creating waste in the form of demolition and using valuable resources for new construction.

Environmental Impact

Serving U-Haul customers since 1976, this facility was built through adaptive reuse of an abandoned building. Adaptive reuse promotes infill development in an effort to strengthen communities, with the following benefits achieved at this site:

3 tons of metal manufacturing & transportation prevented
18,262 tons of new concrete pours avoided
18,483 tons of construction and demolition debris prevented

Energy-efficiency and waste-reduction programs at this facility provide the following estimated benefits each year for the Tampa community:

81,210 kWh annual energy savings
7,523,730 lbs greenhouse gas emissions prevented

Steel Production 3 tons (3 tonnes) of steel manufacturing and delivery saved to date
Energy 81,210 kWh annual energy savings
Concrete 18,262 tons (16,572 tonnes) of new concrete pours avoided to date
Emissions 7,523,730 lbs (3,412,742 kgs) of greenhouse gas emissions prevented
Landfill Debris 18,483 lbs (16,772 kgs) of construction debris prevented