New Airbnb features slice of old Ybor City

A look inside a historic casita in Ybor City

Is it old or is it new? Made a little of both. FOX 13 went inside a casita in Ybor City with all the modern conveniences with old Ybor charm. Lloyd Sowers reports.

YBOR CITY, Fla. - After restoring a 1925 casita home in Ybor, a local history buff has posted it for rent on Airbnb.

Cristal Lastra is a Tampa native with family going back generations, and she works in the cigar industry.

The home was fully restored by a previous owner several years ago before she added antique furniture and accessories to it.

Hundreds of such homes were built in the early 1900's for immigrant cigar workers.

The houses were also known as a Shotgun House, with the front and back doors in alignment. It was said if a shot were fired at the front door, it would exit out the back.

The backstory:

Many of the items in the home and pictures on the walls are nods to Old Tampa, which was dubbed the Cigar City. 

At its peak, Tampa produced 500 million cigars a year in its 200 cigar factories that employed thousands of workers.

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Local perspective:

The old Perfecto Garcia Cigar Factory across the street from the casita is being restored into 39 residential units. 

The J.C. Newman Cigar factory and museum are also nearby. 

The Sanchez-Haya building nearby is being restored into a boutique hotel and cigar and cocktail bar.

What you can do:

For a look at the Airbnb listing, click here.