I began the week with a party, my own birthday party. As I put another year behind me and the depression starts to set in, I begin grasping for something that will still make me feel young. Despite the party atmosphere a drive or stroll through Ybor City can always get me out of this funk.
The grand buildings, brick streets and rusting ironwork are a testament to the strength of age, in Ybor almost every structure is older than I am! Sure some of them have been renovated; a new coat of paint on the trim work, a bit of extra mortar or stucco to fill in the cracks, a brace or two, maybe a new addition. I begin to imagine the events that they have stood through, the people they have housed and the hands that helped create them.
Then, I start to realize that the beauty of these buildings is in their age. My emerging wrinkles, scars and stories make me unique and interesting. Instead of mourning the passing of another year, I should celebrate surviving another year and embrace the possibilities of the year ahead. That is why I intend to close out the week with another party, the opening for a new exhibit about the architecture of Ybor City.
The Ybor City Museum is opening a new exhibit called Ybor City Architecture: Our Stories. Liz McCoi, Curator of Programs and Education at the museum, says this exhibit encompasses “what it is that makes Ybor City look like Ybor City”.
For a architecture geek like me that set me ears tingling. She says the exhibit will take a look at local building culture, the architectural details like arches, gables and ironwork that mark the historic buildings in the district and make us want to preserve these buildings. Two local architects that helped design the buildings that ybor city residents played and worked in will be showcased.
The exhibit will also highlight the impacts of urban renewal on Ybor City and the resulting historic preservation efforts that created the historic district. Historic images, current photographs and architectural renderings (some on loan from the Tampa Bay History Center’s archives of historic blueprints) will be utilized to weave a narrative about Ybor City’s built environment.
To kick it all off the Musuem is hosting a party on Friday, Oct. 21, from 5 to 9 p.m.
The Ybor City Museum is teaming up with Hillsborough Community College to host Ybor City Architecture: Our Stories, A One-day Juried Art Exhibition. Eighteen local artists will display works that center around the theme of the exhibit, many of the pieces will be available for purchase. Tracy Midulla Reller, a local artist and art professor at Hillsborough Community College, is curator of the event and notes that the works will serve to underscore “the fluidity of Ybor City's architecture”. This is the second year that the musuem has opened their new exhibit with a themed art show, which will take place in the Mediterranean-style garden of the Ybor City Museum State Park. "Creative" food and drinks will be available and entertainment will be provided by Acho Brother and The University of Tampa Dance Team.
If that wasn’t enought opening ceremonies for the Ybor City Archiecture exhibit will be held including an an official proclamation, ceremonial laying of a cornerstone by Universal Lodge #178 and ribbon cutting. Advance tickets are $20 and can be purchased at CLTampa.com/architecture, or will be available at the door for $25. The Ybor City Architecture: Our Stories exhibit will be open at the Museum for the entire year. Information about museum hours and the exhibit can be found on the Ybor City Museum website, ybormuseum.org.
This article appears in Oct 13-19, 2011.