Angel LaMadrid Cuesta, a Spanish immigrant, started his cigar factory in 1884 in Atlanta, GA. Peregrino Rey joined him in 1886, who had just left Cuba as an apprentice cigar maker. After moves and mergers, they formed Cuesta, Rey & Co. on Howard Ave in West Tampa. Established in 1903, this two-story, 9500 sq. ft. building sat across the street from the factory and served as a boardinghouse for cigar company managers.  

Later in the 1900s, some of West Tampa became blighted with a decline in business and depression in residential values. This building housed several businesses during that time, including the Manuel Garcia Restaurant, West Tampa Wholesale Grocery, and Marcus Tavern. The original cigar factory was damaged by fire in 1975 and was demolished in 1986, leaving this building as the only remaining structure representative of the company. In 1985, The Gold Nugget Bar and Tavern opened and lasted until 2000. Then, in 2005, businesswoman Barbara Baker purchased it for $235,000, intending to rehabilitate it and open it as a special events center. It is now a multi-tenant building housing professional offices.

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