L'Unione Italiana
L'Unione Italiana, The Italian Club, is a historic social society in Tampa's Ybor City neighborhood.[1] 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.[2] 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. [3]
Santo Trafficante Sr. 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.[4][5]
See also
- Circulo Cubano de Tampa (Cuban Club)
- Centro Asturiano de Tampa (Asturian Spanish Club)
References
- ^ "Home". italian-club.org.
- ^ Holton, John. "The Italian Club Ybor City's Italian Mutual-Aid Organization". Tampa Historical Society. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
- ^ Holton, John. "The Italian Club Ybor City's Italian Mutual-Aid Organization". Tampa Historical Society. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
- ^ "Trafficante Family Head Dies At 68". The Tampa Tribune. Tampa, Florida. August 12, 1954. p. 2. Retrieved March 18, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Holton, John. "The Italian Club Ybor City's Italian Mutual-Aid Organization". Tampa Historical Society. Retrieved 20 October 2022.