Rosy Glow – Italian American Heritage Month

By

Andrew DeMarco

During Black History month I have written about lesser-known African Americans who have made significant contributions to us all. In the past, I have written about Nathan Green, Dovey Johnson Roundtree and “Stagecoach” Mary Fields. This being October, which is Italian American Heritage Month, I thought I would write about some lesser-known Italian Americans.

Today I would like to tell you about Guiseppe Piccirilli and his family. Guiseppe was a stone cutter and carver from Massa-Carrera in Italy and emigrated with his family to the United States in 1888. He along with his wife and seven children, six boys and a girl settled in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx. It is there where Guiseppe and his sons all of whom followed in his footsteps as marble cutters and carvers set up shop. The Piccirilli Brothers created some original works but were mostly known for doing the heavy lifting for other sculptors and architects, that being the actual cutting and carving of the architectural designs of others. They became so in demand for their talents that today there are few places in New York where you cannot help but walk by the work of these brothers. From the New York Stock Exchange, the U.S. Custom House, The Washington Square Arch, The Brooklyn Museum and the New York Public Library to name a few. It was their blood, sweat and hard work that brought the design of others, who get all the credit, to become a reality.

The Piccirilli brothers’ works were not confined to New York. There other works include The Dupont Circle Fountain in Washington D.C. and the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery and others. But perhaps their best “unknown” work for which they receive very little credit is one of the most visited sites in Washington D.C., and that is the Lincoln Memorial. Their work the statue of Abraham Lincoln is carved from Georgia white marble, the sculpture weighs 175 tons and had to be shipped in 28 separate pieces from their Mott Haven facility. It was then reassembled piece by piece like a huge jig saw puzzle in the memorial itself. Daniel Chester French the architect who designed the memorial and statue always seems to get the glory while the Piccirilli Brothers are rarely mentioned or given any credit for their efforts.

So, this month while Christopher Columbus and others are under attack by the cancel culture mob and those who seek to change history, This Italian American Heritage Month I would like everyone to think about the Piccirilli Brothers. These proud Italian Americans who did great work in their adopted country while toiling in anonymity and have made a difference just like those others I have written about in the past. If we take some time and learn more about our past, good or bad, we will all be better for it. The story of these brothers is one which should fill us all as Americans with that feeling that Cousin Bob would call that…..Rosy Glow!

N.B. It is said that one of the great losses in American art history occurred when the Piccirilli Brothers studio quietly closed in 1945 and no move was made to secure their records, so many more of their accomplishments were lost.