6 westword.com WESTWORD MARCH 12-18, 2026 | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Big Ideas in Little Italy NORTH DENVER DESCENDANTS WANT A NEW HISTORIC DISTRICT TO HONOR THEIR ITALIAN HERITAGE. BY HANNAH METZGER Over a century ago, Antonio Pavoni helped craft some of Colorado’s most iconic struc- tures in his north Denver studio. The illegiti- mate son of a Venetian count, Pavoni moved from Italy to the United States in 1887 and established himself as an artist and stonecut- ter. He contributed to the Colorado State Capitol, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, the Cheesman Dam and more. Though his work adorns the state to this day, Pavoni’s studio and home on West 24th Avenue were demolished long ago, replaced with an apartment complex. They’re among countless Italian landmarks lost in Denver, from community staples like Pagliacci’s and Carbone’s Italian Sausage Deli to the historic losses of the Holy Trinity Italian Evangelical Church and the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Grade School. Now, some local Italians are trying to stop the bleeding by designating a Little Italy historic district in north Denver. “It’s important to preserve what we have and recognize what was here,” says 33-year- old Jenna Peccia, one of the leaders of the effort. “North Denver was predominantly Italian at one point. Italians were a huge part of the city’s development, but you don’t really know this unless you’re Italian.” The Little Italy district would preserve culturally-signifi cant properties in the area, extending from West 38th Avenue to West 32nd Avenue between Zuni and Lipan streets in the Highland neighborhood, according to the proposal. The area is roughly centered by the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Italian Catholic Church, which is already a pro- tected Denver landmark. It would be a thematic cultural historic district — the fi rst of its kind in the city — meaning only select properties would be included, rather than every property within the district’s boundaries. So far, Peccia has identifi ed around fi fty properties of Italian cultural signifi cance that could be part, in- cluding the Potenza Lodge (Denver’s oldest Italian lodge), Leprino Foods (the head- quarters of the world’s largest mozzarella producer, founded in Denver) and the home of Italian builder Frank Damascio. The properties would have to adhere to certain design guidelines, which would restrict demolition or signifi cant external changes. Beyond just shielding buildings, supporters say Little Italy would strengthen the community, attract more Italian busi- nesses and honor the local history. “I’m a third-generation of north Denver. From Italy, my family came right here to Denver,” says 26-year-old Dominic Ursetta, another leader of the initiative. “I have so much pride for it. It’s everything I do and everything I represent in my life. ...Doing this is a recognition that even though it’s not as big as it was, we’re still here.” But this isn’t the fi rst time someone has tried to establish a Little Italy in Denver, and the effort faces a long road ahead. A Family Affair Peccia and Ursetta met just four years ago, at an Italian American Future Leaders conference. But Peccia grew up walking on sidewalks laid by Ursetta’s great-grandfather. His name, Carelli, is stamped into the concrete directly outside of Peccia’s childhood home. “The history of the whole community is out here,” Ursetta says. “Bonding over north Denver, we decided to jump on board and bring the historic district back again.” In 2016, residents launched a similar ef- fort to designate Little Italy in north Denver. Peccia’s mother, Crystal, was one of the lead- ing members of that initiative. According to Crystal, the then-pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel put together a committee of supporters, but it fi zzled out without making much progress. At the time, Peccia made a Little Italy Facebook page to promote her mom’s pro- posal. Though the effort ended, she kept the Facebook going, later adding Instagram and X accounts, as well as a YouTube channel. She’s used social media to maintain public interest in the project and in Denver’s Italian community, sharing historical photos, immigration stories and local events. Some videos have garnered upwards of 90,000 views, including features on the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the city’s Italian properties. “To see her step up and do these things that I think are important, too, it’s great. It’s the greatest thing ever,” Crystal says of her daughter. “I think we have a really good chance this time to get it right. I’d love to see it come to a fi nish. I’m keeping my fi ngers crossed.” They’ve already made more progress this time around. Peccia has collected fourteen letters of support for the district, held a community meeting on February 26 to dis- cuss the proposal, and connected with the district’s city council representative, Council President Amanda Sandoval, who attended the community meeting. Peccia is currently in the process of ap- plying for a grant to fund the research and application costs from Historic Denver, which has expressed support for the Little Italy historic district. “We think this could be a really good thing for the community,” said Sam Crowley, direc- tor of research at Historic Denver, during the February 26 meeting. “The Discover Denver citywide building survey is currently work- ing in Highland right now. So we’re docu- menting buildings and we’re researching them. Meeting people in the neighborhood, I think there’s a lot of support and interest in learning about the Italian history.” However, so far no property owners in Little Italy have signed on for preservation. There is still plenty of time to do so; the historic district application and approval process typically takes at least a year, ac- cording to Denver’s Landmark Preservation Commission. But the hesitancy could spell trouble for the proposal’s future. “The Italian community is pretty frag- mented, especially in Denver,” Peccia says. “This would help unite us. It would help us to get back to our history.” Italians in Colorado In 1922, roughly one in fi ve people liv- ing in Colorado was Italian. In 2024, that number was still as high as one in twenty. Italians started settling in Colorado in the late 1850s, with many of them moving to the United States during Italy’s unifi cation pe- riod. They were drawn to Colorado because of its similar climate and landscape, as well as the opportunity for work in the mines and on the railroads, explains Alisa DiGiacomo, the retired director of curatorial services at History Colorado. “Oftentimes, when people think of Ital- ians, they don’t think of Italians in the West or, specifi cally, in Colorado,” DiGiacomo says. “Italians were targeted in Colorado, really ‘encouraged’ to not speak Italian. It was a push for them to Americanize. ...After World War II, there was a lot of anti-Italian sentiment. Italians had to register as aliens; there was a POW camp for Italians in Trinidad; many people made as- sumptions that you were part of the mafi a, you were fascist, you were clannish. Italians were targeted by the Ku Klux Klan because they were Catholic. So people didn’t want to talk.” Italians primarily concentrated in Den- ver, Pueblo and Trinidad. “The community ends up taking care of itself,” DiGiacomo says. “They have their own paper, their own restaurants, businesses, banks...Little Italy is this enclave of an insulated community where people feel safe to practice their own religion, speak their own language, have their customs, and not be targeted.” Most early Denver Italians lived in “the Bottoms” along the South Platte River, be- cause that area was close to manufacturers and the railroad, and cheap due to fl ooding. The population gradually shifted to north Denver, seeking better housing and closer proximity to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, amid the building of the Valley Highway in the 1940s and ‘50s and the development of downtown, DiGiacomo explains. Many Italians began leaving north Den- ver’s Little Italy in the ‘70s, again seeking NEWS KEEP UP ON DENVER NEWS AT WESTWORD.COM/NEWS MONIKA SWIDERSKI
