The B.F. Marcos building was one of the original structures along Broadway in Ybor City. It was built in 1908 by architect Francis Kennard on land purchased initially from Vincent Martinez Ybor, founder of Ybor City and the cigar industry.

In 1909, the Bank of Ybor City leased the first floor. La France, now a vintage clothing store, has leased space in the building since the 1930s. After their father died, Josefa and Catalina Marcos continued living in the upstairs residence.  The building survived three close calls with fire in the mid-20th century.  The last one, in 1966, started in the Shoe Fair self-service shoe store at 1608 Broadway next door and gutted the building. The remnants of the wall can be seen in the Historic American Buildings Survey photo.

While the La France’s business has changed, it remains at 1612 7th Ave. In the early days, it sold shoes and ready-to-wear clothes. By the 1940s, owned by Nick DiMaggio and Sam Ferreri, it was exclusively shoes for women and children. By the 1970s, it was called La France Antiques, and by the early 1980s, it was La France Déjàvu Garmenture, selling vintage clothing. Their window dressing with mannequins decked in fashion from the Roaring 20s to the Disco 70s continues to be a portal to the past in Ybor City.

The building next door in the modern photo was built as part of the Centro Ybor shopping project that opened in 2000.

 © Chip Weiner. All rights reserved