Physical description:
Original on audiotape cassettes in cases CIAPA.OH.101.a and .b. Cassette 1, side A has a length of 47 minutes, 50 seconds. Cassette 1, side B has a length of 47 minutes, 38 seconds. Cassette 2, side A has a length of 11 minutes, 55 seconds. Cassette 2, side B is blank. Transferred to one mp3 file for access. Clip of access file attached. Full version available on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/historycolorado/aldo-g-notarianni-oral-history-ciapaoh101
Project description:
In 2002, the Colorado Historical Society (now known as History Colorado) founded the Colorado Italian American Preservation Association (CIAPA). A volunteer organization, CIAPA’s mission is to work collaboratively with the Society and other organizations to develop, support and coordinate projects that preserve, promote and celebrate Italian American culture and heritage. Since 2002, CIAPA has carried out its mission by meeting with people from the Colorado Italian American community, recording their stories and creating an archive of research materials that includes oral histories, photographs, moving images, sound recordings and artifacts. To date, CIAPA has helped the Society acquire over 200 oral histories, 600 artifacts and nearly 6,000 photographs. Since 2002, CIAPA has developed over 4,000 research files, all of which document the history, culture and traditions of Italian American families in Colorado.
Interview summary:
OH needs index/transcript. See attached summary and project form for potential subjects covered on the tape.
Notes:
See MSS.02595 Aldo Giacinto Notarianni files 1-4 and Gregorio Notarianni for additional information and images.
From Italy in Colorado
Notarianni
Gregorio “Gregory” Notarianni
Born in Falerna, Italy in 1895, Gregory Notarianni served in the Italian Cavalry. After contracting the flu in 1918, he returned home. Interested in travel and wanting to see the world, he immigrated to America in 1920 and settled in Denver. In 1922 he married Adele Libonati and worked for his brother-in-law, Frank Mancini, at the Mancini Press, writing for the Italian-language newspaper Il Risveglio. Gregory and Adele had one son, Aldo, born in 1925.
In 1923, Gregory started his own publication, America. A year later, he left the publishing business and acquired the Star Movie Theater. In 1926, he purchased the Navajo Theater in the heart of Little Italy. A popular place, the Navajo showed movies for ten cents for children and fifteen cents for adults. After purchasing tickets, patrons could buy candy from the Se Cheverell-Moore drugstore, which was connected to the theater by a door in the lobby.
Gregory sold the theater in 1938. Adele Notarianni died in 1968, followed by Gregory in 1983.