The Story of A. Santaella Cigar CompanY

Left to right: Guy Ketterer, a well-known auto dealer of Tampa, Armando Rodriquez “Bombillo” assistant manager of the A. Santaella Cigar Factories, Babe Ruth and “Colonel” Mariano Alvarez, manager of the A. Santaella Cigar Factories in March 1929.

"THE BEST OF THE BEST"

Winston Churchill liked the mild Optimo cigar manufactured by A. Santaella Cigars, and so did Babe Ruth. Tampa was one of "The Babe's" favorite places to visit–he had made his mark here on April 4, 1919, in a pre-season game the Boston Red Sox played against the New York Giants. He knocked a 587-foot home run out of the Tampa Fair Grounds, over a fence, and into a furrow in a farmer's field!

Each year when he arrived in Tampa for spring training, "The Great Bambino" would take the opportunity to stock up on his favorite cigars. He would visit the A. Santaella Cigar Factory in West Tampa to collect a few boxes of his beloved smoke, known as "The Best of the Best," and he always made time to pose for pictures.

​The four-story, red brick building still stands at 1906 N. Armenia. It was built in 1904 after a fire destroyed the previous structure. Since this was the second time a fire had occurred, its owners decided to use a different rebuild plan. When Antonio Santaella from Seville, Spain, and Sol
Hamburger from Bavaria was built a third time; they purchased the entire block and built the factory in the middle. The last fire had jumped from one building to another, and Mr. Santaella did not want this to happen again. He later convinced the city to build a fire station behind his factory–another safeguard was in place. Their new factory was one of the city's largest and most efficiently equipped. 

Santaella and Hamburger have a long history in the business. They began manufacturing cigars in 1886 and had factories in Key West before coming to Tampa. Between 1918 and 1919, Santaella produced over forty-five million cigars, and in 1946, they opened a factory in Clearwater, Florida. That operation was eventually closed, and in 1955 the factory in Armenia was sold to Universal Cigar Corporation.

A. Santaella factory workers.

​The current owners of 1906 N. Armenia genuinely appreciate their building's history. The Ellis and Van Pelt families purchased it in 1997 from Tropical Garment to operate Ellis-Van Pelt Office Furniture, Inc. But then they did something very unique–they converted the top floors of the factory into studios and rented them to local artists. Those old wood floors now harbor a beehive of artistic activity. Art shows are held frequently, and visitors can walk down the long halls of the factory and stop to view or purchase the art.

​When you walk into the business office of Ellis-Van Pelt, you notice shelves filled with cigar-making artifacts–all found by the family after they purchased the factory. The first objects to catch your eye are the vibrant cigar boxes with the picture of a proud Antonio Santaella wearing his trademark white hat on the label. Mr. Gray Ellis was seated on the back of a big white horse, his large frame looming over the animal! Laughing, we agreed Señor Santaella was a very colorful character. 

​I then spotted three wooden chairs whose seats and backs were covered by worn-out skin. Mr. Ellis and his son Bubba explained that the goatskin was a cushion for the workers who spent long hours rolling cigars. 

​I pictured busy hands working on completing as many cigars as possible in one day, only stopping for a quick bite to eat or a short restroom break. We can only imagine life in a cigar factory in the 1900s–even with the assistance of the old postcards, cigar-making tools, documents, and pictures the Ellis family has on display. 

Top: An old Optimo Cigars envelope. Left: A. Santaella Factory. Right: A cigar factory worker’s chair on display at Ellis-Van Pelt Office Furniture.

​I was intrigued by the family's stories about payoffs in the factories. 

​Mr. Ellis said he was told that cigar workers were paid at the end of the week, and if they wanted to remain in good standing, they would each place a silver dollar under the mat at their work table before they left. Once everyone had gone, the manager would walk around the empty factory collecting payoffs. The money kept the manager happy, the cigar worker employed, and in most cases, his family. 

​Mr. Ellis' wife, Joann, remained busy at her desk while we talked. Keeping one ear on our discussion, she jumped in occasionally to qualify a story. As I studied the "The Babe" picture on the wall, Mr. Ellis described how their factory influenced their lives. He told me about their cats. 

​He said, "Well, one cat we had a while back we named 'Optimo' and then the other cat we named 'Winifred' after Mr. Santaella's wife."

​Mrs. Ellis smiled, saying, "Yep, and that's my middle name too!" 

​As I turned to leave, I asked Mr. Ellis one last question. Had he heard any other interesting stories he wanted to share?

From left to right: Gray Ellis, Jon Van Pelt and Bubba Ellis.

He thought for a minute, then said, "Well, one of our artists once said the factory is haunted!" His best recollection was the artist was working late one night when a decorative sword hanging on the wall began to turn slowly– and then stopped as suddenly as it had started! I made a note to contact that artist soon. Perhaps I'd have another interesting article to write. I then thanked the Ellis family for the generosity of their time and left. 

Walking toward the cigar factory's exit, I looked back and thought of the story I had just heard. Could the ghost be that of a cigar worker returning each night to finish his job? Maybe wanting to use his have to make one last cigar–or could it be he forgot to leave his silver dollar under the mat?

CIGAR CITY MAGAZINE- NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2005
Art & Photography Contributors: Hillsborough County Public Library, Tampa Bay History Center, The Florida State Archives, The Tampa Tribune/Tampa Bay Times, University of South Florida Department of Special Collections, Ybor City Museum Society, private collections and/or writer.

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MARILYN L. FIGUEREDO

Marilyn was Cigar City Magazine's co-owner and managing editor until her passing in 2007. Marilyn was born in 1948 in Tampa, where she lived her entire life and, more specifically, her early childhood in Ybor City. After a successful 30-year career at Delta Air Lines, Marilyn embarked on what became her true passion: reinvigorating the colorful, multicultural history of Ybor City through the lives and personal stories of the families and individuals who made up the uniqueness of this Tampa quarter. She did this primarily through Cigar City Magazine, serving on various committees and organizations, and attending cultural events throughout Tampa. Her work alongside her niece Lisa Figueredo, founder and Publisher,  was instrumental in producing Cigar City Magazine.

Marilyn's legacy will live forever throughout the pages of Tampa's first historical magazine–CigarCityMagazine

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