Tampa: Untold Stories - the Italian Club

[@dennisalvarez8088]

Love You EJ !!!! You're the Best!!!!

[@dmondcon1]

Wow, This is the best history lesson!

[@jamalhussamy]

What a great presentation

[@imerupp]

Ybor City and the hole Old Tampa area is so rich in history

[@samueldelgado1458]

This was amazing... I got married in the Italian Club in '03. I love it.

[@terrybaptist795]

That was interesting thanks for the history lession?

[@deliarosas7436]

He not reading from script... He stating his memory from his child hood

[@cained5ncs857]

What’s pretty cool is, I just installed new carpet in the ballroom about 3 yrs ago. I live in the Tampa Bay Area. It was pretty cool to see them try and keep it old historic looking

[@clutchcargo5259]

Not many Italians in Tampa now from what I'm seeing. Public transportation was better back than compared to now

[@jonnyhawt8973]

There's still lots of Italians here. Many from NY but they're all spread throughout the city with no distinctive neighborhood.

[@gobeklipepe]

They say this building is extremely haunted.

[@DollyKauionalani]

Every time I'm in Ybor, I'm so captivated by the beauty of this building. I live in Tampa, Ybor is a city within Tampa. We had an exclusive paranormal conference there almost twenty years ago. It was amazing! I got the creepiest EVP I've ever had, when I was in the women's bathroom on the second floor alone. We were allowed to go back into the offices where the old TB clinic was. Getting to stay in this beauty over night for two nights, and have amazing speakers during the day, allowing us to enjoy the club as a theater and business conference are like the old crowd would have was an experience I'll never forget. I'm so thankful to have been able to see behind the scenes in this old building! It is truly a historic and architectural treasure. (And yes, it's haunted!) I also got to investigate the old Cuban Club overnight several times with my old group. This was before Ghost Hunters filmed there and made it famous in the paranormal community! We'd give the security guard that was there to keep an eye on us $50 for to hang for the night. He'd lay on the bench outside and nap or read and let us do our thing. Now? Ppffftttt forget about it! They've restored the building, and they charge more than an arm and a leg for the paranormal peeps. We got to go there several times, from sundown to sunup, for $50. Memories, man! They hit me in the feels. Charlie, do you remember skanking to the Supertones on the bandshell at the Cuban Club? Good times!!!!

[@DollyKauionalani]

Also, there's dark history connect to it. The long standing president Philip Lacada was murdered, along with his wife and three out of his four children, were killed by an axe. The one remaining son, Victor Lacada, was found alive at the crime scene. They said that Victor was a marijuana addict, and "the reefer made him do it"! The government had just ended prohibition and was looking for something else to prohibit to show that they still had control. So they decided on pot. They used the Lacada murders for their campaign. Fun fact: marijuana is illegal in the U.S. thanks to the Lacata murders! Did the government have it done to frame him? They knew that he'd been documented as having dementia.They totally used him as a scapegoat. It was also rumored that the family was into bootlegging liquor for the mob. Evidence to back this up was found when the current owner of the home was renovating last year, and found old bottles and a pulley in the attic. There was apparently a mob hitman who's signature was similar to the way the Lacata family was killed. He was reported to have been seen in Tampa at the time. Was it a mob hit and frame job on Victor? Did the government have the mob take the Lacata family out to pin it on Victor for their anti-reefer agenda? The truth will never be known. They even made a movie from the idea to push the topic further called Reefer Madness!

[@clutchcargo5259]

@@DollyKauionalani Cool ty

[@gorillashop337]

Vicente Martínez Ybor