Italia Theatre

Five years after opera singer Ferruccio A. Gianninni launched his opera house, the Verdi Hall Theatre, in Little Italy, Tony J. Cariola and his wife, Millie Cariola, built the Cariola Theatre / Cariola Hall to appeal to the masses by playing Italian motion pictures and Italian-language vaudeville. The theatre’s construction started late in 1910 and into 1911 when it opened - likely on a 25-year lease.

The Cariola venue was built at 729-733 Christian Street just a few doors down from the Verdi Hall Theatre. Also nestled in that neighborhood was an Italian bakery and three Italian restaurants. The fire marshal questioned the Cariola couple in 1914 challenging the operation’s license which was likely the impetus for why it was sold twice in the next two years. One operator completed a major refresh in 1915 that likely increased fire egresses and addressed safety concerns.

In 1915, the Verdi Hall Theatre switched from opera to movies making two photoplay houses a few doors apart. The lowest point for the Cariola Theatre operation came on September 17, 1918 when a shootout was occurring just when the theatre was letting out and three people were killed and others injured just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

On December 10, 1921, the Cariola Theatre became the D’Annunzio Theatre operated by D’Annunizio Theatre Incorporated (DTI). The Verdi Hall was subleased by Gianninni to another operator in September of 1924 including a non-compete clause. Gianninni then took a financial interest and was on the board of DTI which – in part - led to a lawsuit, Gregory v. Russo (1925).

When the D’Annunzio was wired for Western Electric sound in 1929, it came with a major $25,000 refresh to the plans of Arthur H. Winters in its next incarnation as the Italia Theatre. Meanwhile in 1929, a decision was made to shutter the Verdi Hall which didn’t make the transition to sound.

Again, an assumption is made that the Italia was renewed on a thirty-year lease in 1936. The theatre was run by the Allied Motion Picture Theater Service Circuit. Gianninni spent time at the Italia Theatre still promoting opera and Italian films to the end of his life in 1948. The theatre had many offbeat bookings and some unusual occurrences. One such night was in December of 1954 when thieves attempted to remove the safe of the Italia Theatre by taking it out in a baby stroller. The stroller collapsed under the weight of the safe foiling the robbery.

The long-standing concessionaire at the venue was Luigi DiSanto who sold peanuts, ice cream, pretzels and a hand-made lemon ice concoction that was popular in the summer months. Matinees were popular with children with admission just six cents and each child received a free comic book.

The Italia Theatre closed at the end of its lease with little fanfare and was demolished. The Verdi Hall and the Italia Theatre venues have one lasting element in common along with the neighboring businesses: their former footprints are now associated with the same municipal parking lot that was built in 1974 and was still in operation in the 2020’s.

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