El Centro Asturiano de Tampa

Spanish immigrants from the province of Asturias formed <i>El Centro Asturiano de Tampa</i> in 1902 as a mutual aid society to meet the recreational, social, educational, and medical needs of its members. In an effort to broaden the concept of cooperative medicine, the club operated a hospital <i>El Sanatorio del Centro Asturiano</i> from 1905 until its closing in 1990.<br><br> The society built the present three-story yellow brick and stone building on the corner of Palm and Nebraska Avenues in 1914 after a fire destroyed the original clubhouse building. Designed in the Neoclassical style, the building features stylized classical columns and a sweeping stone stair leading to the main entrance. Major interior spaces include a grand theater, ballroom, and cantina with a 50-foot onyx bar. With a membership open to all, <i>El Centro Asturiano</i> quickly became the center of Spanish theater and opera hosting some of the finest performers in the nation. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.