Italian Hall
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Italian Hall was a two-story commercial and recreational building in
Calumet, Michigan Calumet ( or ) is a Village (United States), village in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The village is located within Calumet Charter Township, Michigan, Calumet Township, Houghton County, Michiga ...
, built in 1908 and demolished in 1984. Two prior buildings known popularly as "Italian Hall" had stood on the site. The first floor housed commercial space with a large hall on the second floor. The building served as headquarters for the (Italian Mutual Benefit Society) and hosted community events. The hall is notorious as the site of a disaster in 1913 in which over 70 people died after a false cry of "fire" at a Christmas party. Since demolition, the site has served as a memorial park. The property is a
Michigan State Historic Site The Michigan State Historic Preservation Office is one of 59 state historic preservation offices established according to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 that plays a role in implementing federal historic preservation policy in th ...
and the building was formerly on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.


Architecture and use

Italian Hall was designed in the
Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended t ...
style. It was located in the 400 block of Seventh Street between Elm and Pine Streets in Calumet. It was situated on lot 9, block 31 of the original
plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...
, measuring like all others in block 31. The two-story building faced east and was rectangular, about . The walls were constructed of brick and rubble masonry. The façade was divided into seven bays, each with an arched window on the second floor. On the main wall was a cast metal
cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative Moulding (decorative), moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, ar ...
, bearing the words , supported at either end by
pilaster In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...
s topped with Doric
capitals Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...
. There were three chimneys, two along the north wall and one about midway on the south. The roof, supported by I-beams spanning the width of the building, sloped from the front and rear to a low point about a third of the way from the rear. The first and second floors both had
tin ceiling A tin ceiling is an architectural element, consisting of a ceiling finished with tinplate with designs pressed into them, that was very popular in Victorian architecture, Victorian buildings in North America in the late 19th and early 20th cent ...
s. When built, the first floor consisted of two shop spaces with stock rooms and living spaces at the rear. The store fronts each had a centered, recessed entrance flanked by windows. Each shop had access to separate halves of the basement. On April 5, 1913, the northern space was let to
The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, better known as A&P, was an American chain store, chain of grocery stores that operated from 1859 to 2015. From 1915 through 1975, A&P was the largest grocery retailer in the United States (and, until ...
and remained in that use through at least the end of the year. At the time of the 1913 disaster, the southern space was occupied by a saloon owned by Dominic Vairo; the original tenants are unknown. At the south end of the building's front was a doorway, framed by brick pilasters, with capitals and imposts supporting an arched
overdoor An "overdoor" (or "Supraporte" as in German, or "sopraporte" as in Italian) is a painting, bas-relief or decorative panel, generally in a horizontal format, that is set, typically within ornamental mouldings, over a door, or was originally intend ...
all made of
Jacobsville Sandstone Jacobsville Sandstone is a red sandstone formation, marked with light-colored streaks and spots, primarily found in northern Upper Michigan, portions of Ontario, and under much of Lake Superior. Desired for its durability and aesthetics, the sa ...
. This doorway opened to a foyer with access to the saloon on its right. Straight ahead was a set of double doors separating it from a that led up to an vestibule that opened to the hall on the second floor from the front of the building. The hall measured . At the rear was a stage, beneath which was a kitchen and to one side was a barroom. Along the southern wall was a viewing gallery overlooking the hall. The hall also had two fire escapes. The hall was used for the society's activities and was rented out to the community; six or seven organizations met regularly in Italian Hall circa 1914. The two storefronts were eliminated, most likely in either 1961 or 1966, and replaced by a single entrance at the center of the first floor. In the approximate center of each former storefront were irregular octagonal windows. By 1975, the cornice had been removed and the southernmost arched window boarded up. In addition, a passage had been opened between the two halves of the basement and the first floor had been remodeled several times.


History


Construction

The benevolent society organized in 1875 and was incorporated under state law in 1889. The organization's hall was nearly completed when it collapsed in 1890 in heavy winds. In 1891, it was rebuilt as a large wooden building with two storefronts on the first floor and a hall on the second. This building burned down on January 1, 1908, without causing any injuries or fatalities. All these prior buildings on the site have been popularly known as "Italian Hall". The most recent Italian Hall was constructed in 1908 at a cost of $25,000 to serve as the society's headquarters. It was designed by architect Paul Humphrey Macneil and built by P. J. Donahue as general contractor. The building was dedicated on
Columbus Day Columbus Day is a national holiday in many countries of the Americas and elsewhere, and a federal holiday in the United States, which officially celebrates the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas. He went ashore at ...
, 1908. The dedication speech was written by James MacNaughton, the general manager of the
Calumet and Hecla Mining Company The Calumet and Hecla Mining Company was a major copper-mining company based within Michigan, Michigan's Copper Country. In the 19th century, the company paid out more than $72 million in shareholder dividends, more than any other mining company ...
, but, due to a family death, he could not attend and it was read by someone else.


Disaster

In July 1913, a strike was called by the
Western Federation of Miners The Western Federation of Miners (WFM) was a labor union that gained a reputation for militancy in the mines of the western United States and British Columbia. Its efforts to organize both hard rock miners and smelter workers brought it into ...
(WFM) in the
Copper Country The Copper Country is an area in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the United States, including Keweenaw County, Michigan, Houghton, Baraga and Ontonagon counties as well as part of Marquette County. The area is so named as copper mining wa ...
. On December 24, 1913, a Christmas party for the children of strikers was arranged by
Anna Clemenc Anna "Big Annie" Klobuchar Clemenc (March 2, 1888 – July 27, 1956; pronounced "Clements") was an American labor activist. Born in Calumet, Michigan, she founded and served as president of the local Women's Auxiliary No. 15 of the Western Federa ...
and the Women's Auxiliary of the WFM and held at Italian Hall. About 500 children and 175 parents were in attendance in the second-floor hall. In late afternoon, the children were lined up to receive presents when the cry of "fire" was heard. Even though there was no fire, they rushed down the staircase in an attempt to escape and those at the bottom suffocated under the crush of people. The precise number of dead has never been fully determined, but more than seventy died, mostly children. The disaster was reported in such newspapers as ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', the ''
Boston Daily Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of #Pulitzer, 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and ...
'', ''
The Atlanta Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (''AJC'') is an American daily newspaper based in metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merge ...
'', ''
The Evening Independent The ''Evening Independent'' was St. Petersburg, Florida's first daily newspaper. The sister evening newspaper of the '' St. Petersburg Times'', it was launched as a weekly newspaper in March 1906 under the ownership of Willis B. Powell. In Nove ...
'' of St. Petersburg, Florida, and ''The Toronto World''. No culprit was identified, despite a coroner's inquest held a few days afterward and a congressional investigation in 1914. It is a common misconception that the disaster was caused by inward-opening doors; they in fact opened outward. The idea that the doors opened inward, introduced in the 1950s by Harry Benedict, was pervasive enough to be included on the Michigan State Historic Site marker.
Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer, songwriter, and composer widely considered to be one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American Left, A ...
later wrote a song about the disaster titled "
1913 Massacre "1913 Massacre" is a Protest song, topical ballad written by American folk singer Woody Guthrie, and recorded and released in 1945 for Moses Asch, Moses Asch's Folkways Records, Folkways Record label, label. The song originally appeared on ''Stru ...
".


1914 to present

After the 1913 disaster, Italian Hall remained in use for about 50 years. In 1975, historian Kevin Harrington compiled a report on Italian Hall as part of the
Historic American Buildings Survey The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
, in which the building was recorded as vacant. The building was designated a
Michigan State Historic Site The Michigan State Historic Preservation Office is one of 59 state historic preservation offices established according to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 that plays a role in implementing federal historic preservation policy in th ...
on June 6, 1977, and was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
on July 23, 1980. In 1980, the building received threats of condemnation from the village for its unsafe condition and its owner, Helen Smith, was incapable of maintaining it. The Friends of the Italian Hall organized to preserve the building; however, they conceded it was not possible when the cost to do so was estimated at $500,000. Italian Hall was demolished in October 1984. The Friends group proposed that a memorial be made incorporating the doorway, and it was set aside from demolition. On October 1, 1987, a Michigan State Historic Site informational marker was erected on the site. Italian Hall was removed from the National Register of Historic Places on April 14, 1988. The 75th anniversary of the disaster, in 1988, spurred action regarding the site. In 1989, the site of the former building was made into a memorial park and the doorway was re-erected on the property. Volunteer labor to create the park was provided by local union members. In 2004, the doorway underwent repairs which included the installation of a copper cap on the arch. , the park is owned by the village of Calumet and maintained by the
Keweenaw National Historical Park Keweenaw National Historical Park is a unit of the U.S. National Park Service. Established in 1992, the park celebrates the life and history of the Keweenaw Peninsula in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a federal-local ...
(KNHP). , the park consisted primarily of the doorway arch and a few historic markers set in the middle of the lot. The doorway is adorned with brass plaques contributed by those who donated to the effort to create the memorial. The Michigan State Historic Site marker details the 1913 disaster on one side and the building's history on the other. There was a stone marker bearing a photograph of Italian Hall. In the rear, a
Michigan Women's Hall of Fame The Michigan Women's Hall of Fame (MWHOF) honors distinguished women, both historical and contemporary, who have been associated with the U.S. state of Michigan. The hall of fame was founded in 1983 by Gladys Beckwith and is sponsored by the Michi ...
marker about Anna Clemenc once stood, but it was removed at some point. There are also brick paths, concrete benches, shrubbery, and a flagpole on the site. There have been plans for further interpretative exhibits on the site up to the addition of a museum and theater, though plans for the latter have not panned out. In late 2012,
Michigan Technological University Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech, MTU, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Houghton, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1885 as the Michigan Mining School, the first post-secondary institution in the Uppe ...
students began surveying the site for archaeological remains with the intent to improve landscaping and site interpretation. , the exterior doors from the base of the stairway are on display at the Coppertown USA Museum in Calumet. , one of the stairway's steps is displayed in the visitor center of the KNHP in Calumet. Because of arguments presented in Steve Lehto's ''Death's Door'', the MSHS marker was modified in June 2013 to omit any mention of the doors or the direction they opened; it previously claimed that the doors opened inward. In 2017, work began to add a monument at the site listing the names of the people who died in the 1913 disaster. Black granite was selected for the monument because of its durability compared to other colors of granite or a memorial made of glass. The monument would be located where the MSHS marker stood, so the marker was moved to a spot closer to the street. Installation of the monument was originally planned for November 2017, but brown-colored defects were found in the stone and it was rejected. A new stone was ordered, with installation expected in May 2018. The memorial was in place by August 2018 with a dedication ceremony on December 24, 2018 - the 105th anniversary of the disaster. The stone was sourced from India and lists the names and ages of the 73 who died.


See also

*
List of Michigan State Historic Sites in Houghton County, Michigan The following is a list of Michigan State Historic Sites in Houghton County, Michigan. Sites marked with a Dagger (typography), dagger (†) are also listed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Houghton County, Michigan, Natio ...
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Houghton County, Michigan


Notes


References


Works cited

* * * * *


External links

* {{National Register of Historic Places Romanesque Revival architecture in Michigan Commercial buildings in Michigan Buildings and structures in Houghton County, Michigan Commercial buildings completed in 1908 Buildings and structures demolished in 1984 Italian-American culture in Michigan Michigan State Historic Sites in Houghton County Former National Register of Historic Places in Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Houghton County, Michigan 1908 establishments in Michigan Demolished buildings and structures in Michigan