A Little Bit of a Renaissance in Little Italy

By Alec Pruchnicki

STATUE OF MARIA PULSONE, a garment worker. Photo by Alec Pruchnicki.

My first trips to Little Italy occurred when I was 17 or 18, about 60 years ago. I got my first car and drove down to Mulberry Street from the Bronx to see the San Gennaro Feast. I have been doing this every year for decades. I have seen Little Italy slowly shrink in size and demographics so now it is mostly the three blocks of Mulberry Street between Kenmare and Canal. But this October, the trend was somewhat reversed. After several years of construction, the Italian American Museum on the corner of Mulberry and Grand opened.

The ribbon cutting was done in early October with a group of elected officials and Prof. Joseph Scelsa, the museum’s founder. Right now, it is mostly empty awaiting the return of many items significant to the history of Italians in New York City, but a few displays are already there. There is a display of Sicilian style marionettes done by the Manteo family here in the U.S. about a century ago.

There is also a statue of a garment worker which was done by her employer many years ago. The worker, Maria Pulsone, was one of many Italian immigrants who found work in the garment industry, like most of the women on my mother’s side of my family. Although the statue was lost for a while, her family found it and brought it to the museum where it sits now. Equally amazing, Maria herself is also still around in a video on YouTube. Go to YouTube and type in “Maria Pulsone,” scroll down a little and you will see a news story about her, her family, and the statue’s trek back to Mulberry Street. Like many good museum exhibits, it reminds us that the past is not as distant as we might think. It is still around, just like Little Italy is still around. For a lot more information on this new addition to this historic neighborhood go to italianamericanmuseum.org. Even better, give them a little time to rebuild their collection and make a visit over there. It’s not often that you can see a renaissance of an historic neighborhood take place right before your eyes.

151 Mulberry Street
Thursday-Saturday 12:00 – 5:00 PM
ItalianAmericanMuseum.org

PRIOR TO COMPLETION OF ALL EXHIBITS, THE MUSEUM is offering the Italian American Museum Amici Walking Tour
Saturdays, 11:00 AM — 12:30 PM (weather permitting)
Schools and Groups-weekdays by appointment

On this tour you will learn about the exciting history of the neighborhood, once the largest Italian American social enclave in the nation at the turn of the 19th century. The treasures of Little Italy include the original site of the Order of the Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, the Church of Most Precious Blood, and beloved businesses kept in families for generations.