Forgotten perhaps by some, Ignacio Haya’s name deserves to be etched in Tampa’s memory. This bust commemorates a man who helped shape Tampa. Who was Ignacio Haya? He was far more than just Vincente Ybor’s friend.
Ignacio Haya built Tampa’s first cigar factory in 1895. He stands as an unsung hero of Tampa’s early development. Hotel Haya and Ignacio Haya Linear Park pay tribute to his legacy.
Born in Spain in 1842, Haya journeyed to the United States at eighteen. He and Serafin Sanchez founded Sanchez y Haya in New York in 1867. The tobacco market exploded with the American Civil War. Haya married Fannie Milledoler in 1872.
Visiting Key West, the Haya family befriended the Ybor family. Labor unrest in Havana and Key West motivated them to seek a new location. In 1885, Haya, Ybor, and Galvino Guetierrez explored Tampa.
At that time Hillsborough County had only 3,000 residents. Tampa’s only bank was about to close. The promise of new capital reversed the bank’s fortunes. The Board of Trade guaranteed financial support.
Haya and Sanchez constructed a two-story wooden cigar factory at 1502 7th Avenue. Its first product was called “Havana Clear”. The factory produced a half-million cigars monthly. They later expanded to a brick building at 2311 North 18th Street that opened in 1908.
Initially, the Haya family resided in Ybor. Later they built a home at 605 Magnolia Avenue in Hyde Park. Fannie Milledoler Haya lived at 706 Brevard Avenue until her death in 1929. The “Fannie” on Sanchez y Haya cigar boxes depicted actress Fannie Davenport not Fannie Haya.
Ignacio Haya was the first president of El Centro Espanol. This mutual aid society supported Spanish immigrants. It provided healthcare, socialization, and burial benefits. Haya donated most of the money to begin it. He joined other Ybor City industrialists in creating a socialist community.
Ignacio Haya died in 1906 at age 63. The Tampa Tribune called him “a strong man” who “helped make Tampa great.” Though a street and park bear his name, his contributions are less recognized than Ybor’s.
The Sanchez Y Haya building stands near Columbus Avenue and 16th Street. Drew Newman’s family is restoring it. The Newmans own the only working cigar factory left. They seek grant money to restore the Haya building into a cigar bar and restaurant.
So, as you stand before this bust of Ignacio Haya, remember his impact. He was a pioneer. He helped transform Tampa into the Cigar Capital of the World.