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Company Seeks Office

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By JOSE PATINO GIRONA, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 10, 2007

WEST TAMPA - A Tampa-based dental management company with locations throughout the Southeast wants to turn a former cigar factory into its corporate headquarters.

Intelident Solutions will ask the city council at 6 p.m. Thursday to rezone the 1904-built factory and approve parking on nearby lots the company bought after acquiring the building, 1202 N. Howard Ave. The council also will have its final hearing to designate the building a local historical landmark.

Tampa once had 200 cigar factories; 26 remain.

People want to see cigar factories cared for, said Chris Duffy, an Intelident spokeswoman.

The company bought the 34,000-square-foot factory in January 2006 from North Hyde Park Lofts for $1.5 million, property records show. Duffy said the company was interested in the centrally located cultural and historic neighborhood, which is trying to develop and prosper economically.

If the council approves the rezoning, the company estimates it will take 12 to 18 months to rehabilitate the vacant building. The interior will have exposed beams and bricks. Offices will have partial walls and will be finished with glass to allow natural light to pass through the building, Duffy said.

The three-story building is structurally sound, although some floors are damaged, Duffy said. She declined to say how much the company plans to spend on the project. Intelident, which leases space on Rocky Point Drive, doesn't plan to rent out space.

The parking lots will have brick walls and metal roofs. Benches will be installed facing Howard, Duffy said.

Intelident, which owns Tampa-based Coast Dental Services, was formed in 2005 to turn Coast Dental into a private company. Coast Dental was formed in 1992 in Holiday.

Intelident is an investor in Heritage Square at the Armory, which is negotiating to develop the 10-acre Fort Homer Hesterly Armory property, 522 N. Howard Ave. The more than $90 million proposal includes a 300-room hotel, a day spa, art studios, a farmers market, boutiques, restaurants and a park.

The cigar factory was built for the Samuel I. Davis Co. and was purchased by Balbin Bros. Co. in 1910. Five years later, the Tampa-Cuba Cigar Factory bought Balbin Bros.

In the 1930s, the DeSoto Brewery briefly operated there, and from 1937 to 1976 it was the home of Empire Mercantile, which operated 24 Fremac's clothing stores.

Local business leaders support Intelident's project.

It would bring 80 to 100 employees who would shop and dine in the area, said Tommy Castellano, president of West Tampa Chamber of Commerce.

'Whatever goes on in there will be an asset,' Castellano said.

In recent years, the area has seen significant investment in historical buildings.

Barbara Baker rehabilitated a 1906 building at 2502 N. Howard Ave. that once was a boardinghouse for Cuesta Rey Cigar Factory managers. She opened Baker and Co. General Store and Antiques Emporium there last year.

Nicholas Jammal is restoring the Morgan Cigar Factory, 1403 N. Howard Ave., which will be leased for professional offices.

'The area has a long way to go, but it is on the move,' Castellano said.

CIGAR FACTS

1893: West Tampa has 25 cigar factories
1895: More than 50 million cigars are manufactured annually in West Tampa, and the area's population reaches 3,500; the city of West Tampa is incorporated

1904: A cigar factory is built at 1202 N. Howard Ave. for Samuel I. Davis Co.

1910: Balbin Bros. Co. buys the factory

1915: Tampa-Cuba Cigar Factory buys Balbin Bros.

1930s: DeSoto Brewery operates the building

1937-76: The building is home to Empire Mercantile, which operated 24 Fremac's clothing stores

1978 to 2005: The Freeman family operates EverWear Products, Royal Kitchens and Daystar International from the building

2005: North Hyde Park Lofts buys the building

2006: Intelident Solutions buys the building with the goal of relocating its headquarters

Source: City of Tampa; Tampa Tribune archives and Intelident Solutions

Reporter Jose Patino Girona can be reached at (813) 835-2110 or jpatino@tampatrib.com.

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