The Boys' Club has been a presence in Ybor City since the 1920s. This particular building opened in the summer of 1947, with over 400 boys registered for membership. Embracing the motto “It’s better to build boys than mend men,” it quickly became a hub of activity in Cascaden Park on 15th Street, before the construction of Interstate 4 severed the area from the rest of Ybor City to the south. The club's core programs focused on physical, recreational, and educational activities. Supported by the Ybor City Optimists Club, it became successful in its mission. An online report noted that juvenile delinquency in the district was considered the worst in the country before the club was established, but within the first two years, it had been cut in half.  

The Boys' Club thrived for decades. In 1980, the Ybor location was renamed the Jose Llaneza Branch. In 1982, the Boys' Club of Tampa changed its name to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Tampa, and in 1990, it was renamed the Boys and Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay. 

The organization continued to operate in this building until 2011, when the Christian-based Dream Center of Tampa began its programming there. Sponsored by Grace Family Church, the Dream Center continues the tradition of community outreach initiated by the Boys' Club, serving and supporting residents in need.

 © Chip Weiner. All rights reserved