The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts has launched "Cigars! Photography, Industry and Identity," a new exhibition by local photographer Zack Wittman. The show documents the architectural remnants of Tampa’s historic cigar industry, which once boasted over 200 factories but has dwindled to approximately 25 standing brick buildings. Through a collaboration with the J.C. Newman Cigar Company, Wittman captured both preserved and derelict structures that define the unique personality of Ybor City.
This exhibition serves as a vital preservation of regional identity, marking the 140th anniversary of the first Tampa-made cigar. By focusing on the fading industrial architecture, the project highlights the tension between urban development and historical heritage in a city that was built on the cigar trade. It underscores the role of photography in documenting disappearing American industrial landscapes before they are lost to time.