Vincente Martinez Ybor immigrated to Cuba from Spain in the mid-1800s. In 1865, he founded his cigar factory in Havana and began manufacturing the El Principe de Gales (“Prince of Wales”) brand. A few years later, he left Cuba for Key West, where he opened a new factory but found unrest between his Cuban and Spanish workers. He purchased 40 acres of land in Tampa in 1886 and moved his operation here, opening this 3-story building that took an entire city block. Ybor died in 1896.

Several cigar manufacturers continued work here until World War II. As men went to war, the cigar industry and Ybor City entered a long period of decline. The buildings sat vacant for decades until the 1970s, when a marketplace called Ybor Square moved in, shoring up the building and opening shops and eateries. It could not sustain itself. In the early 2000s, the square was converted into office space. In 2010, the Church of Scientology bought the building for $7.05 million to consolidate its operation.

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