Originally built in 1903, the Berriman-Morgan Cigar factory may seem to be a relic of a bygone era. But the Ybor City factory that once produced millions of Havanas a year is coming back to life after decades of abandonment and disrepair.

Thanks to Nicholas Jammal, the Tampa Tribune reports the century-old building will be thoroughly restored as it is transformed from abandoned cigar factory to office space.

When [Jammal] first saw the factory, he knew its location on Howard Avenue (just south of Interstate 275 halfway between West Shore Boulevard and downtown) would make it ideal for professional offices. It already had been designated as a national and local historic landmark, which meant he could take advantage of federal tax credits and local property tax exemptions.

He bought it in 2004 for $600,000, partly with a loan earmarked for historic preservation projects like his. It took 18 months - much longer than he expected - to get all his plans approved. It might have taken longer if Tampa City Councilwoman Mary Alvarez had not streamlined the approval process for him. Her mother was a cigar roller at the factory in the 1940s…

He inherited his devotion to historic preservation from both parents, Roda and Aliya Jammal. His father once told him their passion for historic buildings may come from the fact that their ancestors are from Baalbeck, an ancient city in Lebanon known for its ruins.

Over the past year, Jammal and his employees at Jammal Engineering fixed the factory’s roof. Parts of the tongue-in-groove bead board ceiling were missing, so they relocated materials from other parts of the building and flawlessly blended them. The crew also made new ceiling boards, so it’s hard to tell where the old stop and the new begin.

They took hundreds of concrete blocks out of the 100 window openings and designed replicas of the original windows and frames.

Some original green shutters survived, so Jammal made a replica of one as a pattern for his workers to copy. They brought the old brick back to its original color, matched missing bricks and created a replacement for the column base at the entranceway.

They shored up other column bases, replicated existing arches and moldings and made doors to match originals. Next, they plan to put the old water tower back up on its perch on the south side of the factory.

Jammal hopes the work will be done by March. He plans to rent space to architects, engineers or lawyers and maybe save a corner space for himself on the third floor.

For more information, we highly recommend the Tampa Tribune’s interactive tour of the factory.

-Patrick S