NiniaPimp Magazine

L’Unione Italiana (Italian Club) (1731E. 7th Aye.)
Ybor City’s Italians formed L’Unione Italiana in 1894. The club erected the present 3-1/2-story Neoclassical building, which it still occupies, on the southwest corner of 7th Avenue and 18th Street, in 1918.

The exterior walls are constructed of red brick and rest on a rusticated stone foundation over a partially raised full basement. Along its front (north) facade the edifice features four huge Roman Doric columns which mark the main entrance and culminate in a full entablature and cornice capped by a triangular pediment. On the east side the building has six similar columns which provide a sense of underpinning. Multipaned mullion windows are generally used throughout and are set in rectangular surrounds except on the third story where arched ones are utilized. The building is crowned with a half-story flat-roofed penthouse featuring eyebrow windows with decorative metal grills. The canteen, recreation room, theater, and ballroom are notable rooms. L’Unione Italiana’s overall condition is good, and it is undergoing restoration.