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Crack In Old Club Causes Rift With City

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By KATHY STEELE

ksteele@tampatrib.com

Published: December 19, 2008

TAMPA - With memories of the razing of the old Gary Adult High School still fresh, another historical landmark could be in jeopardy.

City code enforcement inspectors found a structural crack in the former Sicilian Club, 2001 N. Howard Ave., on Dec. 12. A work crew, which city officials say did not have permits, was told to leave the building. Inspectors then posted the club as "unfit for human habitation," citing a risk of collapse.

The city has told the owner, Sita Ram Rattan, as trustee of Song Bird Land Trust, to make repairs by Jan. 2 and provide an engineer's report. If the deadline is not met, a code enforcement hearing will be scheduled, code inspectors said.

Permits and approval from the architectural review commission also are required.

Rattan is in India, said his brother, Pawan K. Rattan. He called the situation a misunderstanding.

"We're trying to clean it up," Pawan Rattan said. "We want to do the best for the building."

In September, the city ordered Gary Adult School owner John Simon to tear down the school, just east of Ybor City, after part of its roof and a wall collapsed. The loss of the 95-year-old landmark served to highlight the plight of other historical buildings, including the former Sicilian Club.

In addition to the crack along the north wall of the Sicilian Club, inspectors found missing metal roof panels, damaged walls and broken windows. "We believe water is getting in," said Dennis Fernandez, the city's preservation manager.

The club was built in 1928 as one of several social clubs that knit together the cultural life of Ybor City and West Tampa. City council members in 2001 designated the club a local historical landmark. The building also is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Reporter Kathy Steele can be reached at (813) 259-7652.

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