The Cuban Club

Built in 1917 for Tampa's Cuban immigrant community, the club once had a ballroom, theatre, bowling alley, and swimming pool. It's on the National Register of Historic Places and has been called America's most haunted building.

The Cuban Club (El Circulo Cubano de Tampa) in Ybor City is considered one of the most haunted buildings in America, with paranormal investigators estimating up to 300 spirits inhabit its walls. This grand four-story Neoclassical structure was built in 1917 after fire destroyed the original 1899 clubhouse--a mutual aid society that provided hope and resources to Cuban immigrants.

The building once housed a large ballroom, theater, bowling alley, spa, restaurant, swimming pool, and medical clinic. On the National Register of Historic Places since 1972, it's accumulated more than a century of tragedy.

The most famous spirit is Victorio the Playwright. In 1919, while performing a play he'd written himself, Victorio forgot his lines. Overcome with shame, he returned to the club after hours, draped a rope across the stage catwalk, and hanged himself. Visitors see flashes of light and floating orbs in the theater.

Rosalita, the Lady in White, frequents the third-floor ballroom wearing a white dress and bright shoes. One evening, she refused a man's request to dance. Humiliated, he threw her from the third-floor balcony to her death. Rosalita now spends eternity dancing the final waltz that never happened.

Little Jimmy, an eight-year-old boy who allegedly drowned in the basement pool, makes his presence known through giggles, sudden temperature drops, and water-like sounds.

In 1934, board member Bellarmino Vallejo was shot and killed inside the club during an argument--his spirit remains.

Footsteps echo in empty hallways, lights flicker, elevators move without riders, and Spanish whispers drift through the air. The Tampa Bay Times could not verify all the death stories, suggesting some may be legend, but the activity continues unabated.