Vicente Guerra (1850-1909) was a Spanish immigrant from Asturias who emigrated to New York City in 1875 where in 1879 he married Margaret Newschadffer and had a daughter named Maria Guerra-Neuschadffer (1882-1967). Vicente moved to Tampa in 1894 and in 1895 moved his cigar factory from New York to the east side of Livingston Ave. between Harper St. & Park St. in Palmetto Beach to the facilities later known as the Corina/José Escalante & Co. factory.  ​In 1900 Vicente Guerra’s daughter Margaret married her cousin Frank R. Diaz (1874-1946). According to Armando Mendez in his book Ciudad de Cigars: West Tampa, V. Guerra, Diaz & Co. was started by Vicente and expanded when Diaz married his daughter. Upon Guerra’s death in 1909 Diaz, who was a popular member of the West Tampa business community owner of several businesses including an automobile dealership, assumed full control of the company.

According to the Palmetto Beach Community Association, Palmetto Beach developed as “East Tampa” in the late 1800s and early 1900s around four cigar factories. Early growth and development centered on three cigar factories constructed in the area during the mid to late 1890s and a fourth cigar factory established in 1915. One of these cigar factories was the three story 38,405 sq. ft. cigar factory at 202 S 22nd St. was built in 1895 for V. Guerra, Diaz & Co. In 1897, the Cuban-American Cigar Manufacturing Co. acquired the Corina facilities and made Guerra its Vice President and General Manager, position he held until his death in January 1909.  

Mendez also states in his book that in June 1897 El Modelo Cigar Co., which was owned by Gabriel Hidalgo Gato, the son of Edward H. Gato the largest cigar manufacturer in Key West, moved from Jacksonville into a factory vacated by La Hilda Cigar Co. at the corner of Garcia Ave. & Arch St. in West Tampa and that in 1899 the firm moved to this new 27,462 sq. ft. factory then known as El Modelo factory, at the northeast corner of Ave. B [N 26th St.] & E Clark St. in Palmetto Beach, eventually being absorbed by the Cuban-American Cigar Manufacturing Co. This ad in the November 15, 1901 Tobacco publication shows that by then, the Cuban American Cigar Co. was already owner of El Modelo factory. This 1903 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map shows the El Modelo factory owned by the Cuban-American Cigar Manufacturing Co. at this location.

After the acquisition of the Corina factory by the Cuban American Cigar Co. in 1899, sometime between 1899 and 1903, V. Guerra, Diaz & Co. opened a cigar factory at the southwest corner of 7th Ave. & 21st St. in Ybor City as evidenced by this 1903 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map. Mendez also states in his book that:

“In July [1903], V. Guerra, Diaz and Company of Ybor City opened a branch factory in West Tampa at the old Stadecker and De Armas factory at on Armenia Avenue and Oak Street. In 1904, they moved the company to the recently vacated Leopold Powell factory. The Galiano Havana Cigar Company , also owned by Guerra and Diaz, was probably a co-tenant in this building. When the fire destroyed their factory on April 4, 1904 , Guerra and Diaz relocated to Palmetto Beach. The company’s most popular brands were La Mega, and La Flor de V. Guerra, Diaz & Co."

The Cuban-American Cigar Manufacturing Co. did not operate at this location for long.  By 1915 according to this 1915 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, this factory was then known as La Mega, owned by V. Guerra, Diaz & Co. It has been reported that when the Cuban-American Cigar Manufacturing Co. closed its Tampa factories they moved operations to Cuba. It is unknown when they ceased to operate but Cuban-American Cigar Manufacturing Co. is not included in the list of companies operating in Cuba in 1958 by Guillermo Jimenez in his book Las Empresas de Cuba 1958 neither as a manufacturer or a leaf supplier or warehouser. It was one of the cigar companies nationalized by Fidel Castro in 1960. Upon their relocation V. Guerra, Diaz & Co. consolidated their Ybor City and West Tampa factories here.

As stated above, after Vicente's death in 1909, his interests were managed by Frank R. Diaz. It is also reported that Joseph Guerra who had been a former manager at Corina was also invlolved in managing the business.  It is unknown although likely, that there was a family relationship between Vicente and Joseph Guerra. V. Guerra, Diaz & Co. occupied this building until 1943.  During the 1940's it was shared with Tampa Tiger Cigars, Haas Cigar Co. and John W. Merrian & Co.  It also served as naval barracks and training facility during WWII and beginning in 1956 and until the 1970's, it was occupied by the V. Guerrieri Cigar Co. by which name the building was also known. 

On July 5, 2015 just past midnight, the building, then owned by 201 26th Street North LLC, caught on fire which firefighters were able to contain, however, the building collapsed around noon that same day due to damage to the second and third floors.  Before the fire occurred, a sign in the front yard of the then vacant and abandoned building stated that Acuity Commercial Services was in charge of selling the property. Interior photos of the building taken sometime during its last years, can be seen in this page of the website Abandoned Florida.