German-American Club, 2105 Nebraska Ave

The The German-American Club on North Rome Avenue. Burgert Brothers. Courtesy, University of South Florida Library

New headquarters for Metro Inclusive Health and CAN Community Health, 2020. © Chip Weiner.

This photo is mislabeled, stating that the German American Club is on North Rome Avenue. While there was a short-lived German American Club at 6111 Rome Avenue, this building is on Nebraska Avenue in Ybor City. The German American Club opened on this corner in 1909 as a social club and mutual aid society for all ethnicities, not just Germans. That set it apart from the other exclusive mutual aid organizations in the early 1900s. World War I started in 1914, and by the time the United States was involved in 1917, anti-German sentiment had taken hold over the nation. Club leaders attempted to assuage the local anger by offering to host the Red Cross in the building for the duration of the war, but as hostility grew, the club closed in 1918.

Looking for a new home that could accommodate a growing need for full-service healthcare focusing on HIV for the under-insured LGBTQ community, Metro Inclusive Health and CAN Community Health purchased the building and renovated it for their headquarters. The building has returned to its original purpose of offering healthcare and mutual aid to those in need.

 © Chip Weiner. All rights reserved

From Burgert Brothers: Look Again, Vol. 2