The Greenwich Village Society for Historical Preservation is calling for New York City to designate the South Village as a historic district. While much of the Village is already landmarked, the area that is often considered the heart of the Village—streets like Bleecker, Carmine, MacDougal, Sullivan, Cornelia and Minetta, are not protected. This area is also one of largest Italian American immigrant settlements in New York City. As part of community public awareness, GVSHP commissioned a 90-page report, entitled Italians of the South Village. It was written by Dr. Mary Elizabeth Brown, of Marymount Manhattan College. Brown also teaches American History (including a Greenwich Village history class) at Marymount.
The report is a fascinating look at the history of Italians who settled in the South Village. It looks at their religious, secular, political and entrepreneurial lives. As early as the 1910’s, Piacentino immigrants like Angelo and Pietro Alpi were creating economic opportunities by providing silk and wire so women could make artificial flowers at home. Anthony and Serafina Amato originally established the Amato Opera on Bleecker Street. Even the most tragic stories, like the emotional mass held one month after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire to commemorate the souls of the young women who died, still resonate with our times.
Some of the most valuable historical information came from letters saved by Father Demo at Our Lady of Pompeii Church. The present day church is located at Bleecker and Carmine Streets, just behind the Square that is named after its beloved priest. “He saved every scrap of paper that came across his desk,” said Brown. Father Demo, very influential in the community, was the person everyone went to see about job referrals, immigration problems and getting children into schools. “It was an amazing parade of issues that faced the community.” As she sifted through all the documents and letters, Brown could see the community slowly develop and come to life.
Included in Father Demo’s papers was a note that accompanied a check from Fiorello LaGuardia. The future mayor of New York wanted to thank Father Demo for ministering to his wife and child who were ill and eventually succumbed to tuberculosis. Father Demo returned the check, saying he could not accept money for something done out of friendship and pastoral duty.
Brown wondered what happened to many of the people who wrote their priest. One woman, Ernestine, told Father Demo she had applied to the telephone company for a job. In those days married women were not hired. Ernestine’s husband was very ill and she was living with her mother. She wrote in her letter, ‘I sincerely hope you won’t contradict my story.’ “You have to have a lot of moxie to tell the priest to lie,” said Brown. “I do wonder how she made out.”
The report also talks about the many businesses that Italians established in the Village. “A lot of Italians went into invisible businesses like real estate,” she said. Several immigrant families also established food companies. Many of the early Italian businesses, like Ottomanelli & Sons, Vesuvio Bakery, Raffetto’s, Faicco's Pork Store and Porto Rico Importing Company are still in business. One establishment, Zito’s Bakery, in its Bleecker Street location since 1924, closed only three years ago. Balducci’s still exists in another location, but was bought from the family after a falling out between the children. Still others opened cafés and restaurants like Café Bohemia and The Five Spot, where musicians like Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker and John Coltrane played.
Dr. Brown believes that the Italian community in the South Village has remained vibrant because of the diversity of the Village itself. She said it was a different type community than Little Italy. “There are more pieces, more business and more community organizations. It is a very caring community. There are even organizations that donate money to New York University to promote study and scholarship. That diversity is a lot of its strength.”
Less clear is how this community will sustain itself in the future. “That’s an answer you can’t look up,” she said.-Sherry Mazzocchi
GVSHP is also sponsoring the lecture Our Little Italies: Past, Present and Future with Dr. Jerome Krase on Tuesday, October 23 at 6:30 pm at the Judon Memorial Church Meeting Hall at 239 Thompson Street. The event is free, but reservations are required. Email: rsvp@gvshp.org or call 212.475-9585 x35 to reserve space.
The south village was a community like no other. We still keep in touch with the Italians that were raised in this homey, culturally rich enviroment. We never realized how much it meant to us until we moved away to different parts of the world. Bravo keep information coming.
Posted by: marie terry | February 21, 2009 at 12:30 PM