Last month, CL profiled the efforts of local muralists Blake and James Emery to rehabilitate the 116-year-old Oliva Cigar factory into an arts mecca ("<a 16).="16)." a="a" add="add" also="also" aren't="aren't" as="as" aug.="Aug." building.="building." but="But" cigar="cigar" city="City" claim="claim" emerys="Emerys" factories="factories" for="For" has="has" href="http://tampa.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A91742>Lighting Up the Arts</a>," in="in" interested="interested" it="it" laid="laid" last="last" museum="Museum" museum.
The only problem — they don't have enough money to buy it. After the Museum Society approached the Oliva family in 2000, their grant sources dried up and fundraisers have not been able to come near the millions of dollars needed to purchase and renovate the aging structure.
"We've always been sort of talking with the family and bringing them along in our vision," museum Executive Director Chris Harp says.
But Angel "Trey" Oliva III, who is managing the building for the family, recently jumped ship to the Emerys' proposal.
"We made them a deal that is more than reasonable and fair, and that's been a few years ago," he says. "But if the thing with Blake (Emery) takes off, the building is not for sale anymore at that price."
Adding to the confusion, the museum members say they have a first-right of refusal on the building, stemming from a contract signed by the Olivas years ago. But members cannot find the signed copy, and Oliva says he never made any kind of deal in writing.
Meanwhile, the Emerys continue to work on the factory. They've pushed back their original October opening date to make the factory's first-floor into a haunted house for Guavaween. Then, they plan to open the factory for a musical and theatrical production in November.
This article appears in Sep 27 – Oct 4, 2006.