8 MARCH 12-18, 2026 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Call Elaine Lustig, PhD .......................................................... at 303-369-7770 Needing Your Emotional ....... Animal W/ You? For eligible people who need their emotional support animal to accompany them at/or away from home, I am available to provide the documentation and counseling. CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED bigger homes in more suburban areas, she says. By the ‘90s, most had moved away, today concentrating in Arvada, Wheat Ridge and Welby — but they left their mark. Denver’s Italian residents made numer- ous notable contributions to the city, such as builder Damascio, who worked on the Brown Palace Hotel and the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception; Lillian Covillo, who founded the Colorado Ballet; and Genevieve Fiore, who founded the United Nations Edu- cational, Scientifi c & Cultural Organization Association of Colorado. DiGiacomo led a fi ve-year project to doc- ument the history of Colorado’s Italian com- munity and wrote the book Italy in Colorado: Family Histories from Denver and Beyond. She is a fi fth-generation Italian-Coloradan who previously lived in north Denver. “I’m so happy that the younger generation is also recognizing the need. If the community wants to persist...there has to be this work to preserve it and document it,” DiGiacomo says of the Little Italy historic district. “There’s still so much to share and learn and discover. I think it’s a really beautiful opportunity.” DiGiacomo adds that the initiative is par- ticularly important now, saying she recognizes the sort of anti-Italian-immigrant rhetoric used in the past reemerging and being directed at other immi- grants today. “There’s a lot that we can learn in ap- preciating how much Italians have contrib- uted,” she says. “Anything that can help people fi nd commonal- ity and a shared sense of history or community is incredibly important right now.” The Italian-American Dream Dozens of people gathered at Our Lady of Mount Carmel’s event hall on the evening of February 26 to discuss the proposed Little Italy district over cannolis. It’s uncharted territory for Denver. The city has designated two thematic historic districts — Downtown Denver in 2000 and University Park in 2024 — and three cul- tural historic districts: Five Points in 2002, La Alma Lincoln Park in 2021 and La Raza Park in 2023. But this would be the city’s fi rst thematic cultural historic district, according to the Landmark Preservation Commission. Unlike in traditional historic districts, property owners would have to opt in to join the Little Italy district and abide by the preser- vation restrictions. That presents a challenge: While there is no minimum number of build- ings needed to apply for the designation, the existing thematic districts have between 17 and 28 contributing buildings. “If you’re doing a district like this, you need enough buildings to tell that story of the area,” said Kara Hahn, Denver’s landmark planning and regulatory supervisor, during the meeting. None of the owners of the fi fty-plus prop- erties identifi ed as culturally signifi cant to Little Italy have signed on to be part of the district yet. John Bonath owns one such building: the historic home of the Italian Marranzino family, including then-Denver City Councilman Ernest Marranzino. Under the Marranzino family, the house on Osage Street served as a bathhouse, brothel, un- derground speakeasy and TV repair shop. But these days, Bonath has made it his own, adorning it with a life-sized Spider-Man statue and covering the former shop win- dows with murals of other comic heroes. Bonath says he’s wary of the added time and costs that a historic designation would impose on making repairs and renovations to his home. “I support the idea of it, but there are also realities,” Bonath says. “The restric- tions that come with it may tie my hands. ...I’ve thought about this for probably 25 years. I’ve always had the opportunity to [get individual landmark designation], but I’ve always pulled back.” When a property is designated, all exterior changes that require a building or zoning per- mit must fi rst be reviewed and approved by the Landmark Preservation Commission, Hahn explained at the meeting. “It’s not preserved in amber. We don’t care what color you paint your house, we don’t do anything with your vegeta- tion,” she added. “But if you need to change your roofing, we would be part of that process. The entire goal is to preserve the character of the building.” The designa- tion also comes with perks to offset the added costs. Proper- ties that are part of Little Italy would be eligible for various grants and tax credits to pay for repairs, restorations and system upgrades, according to the commission. Though cautious, north Denver residents showed support for the proposal. During the meeting, the discussion shifted from questioning regulations and timelines to brainstorming ways to spread the word as or- ganizers prepare to embark on the year-long research, outreach and application process. Right now, they’re putting together their Historic Denver grant application and gath- ering additional letters of support from the community. They will eventually hold more community meetings and, in the fi nal phase, seek approval from Denver City Council. Even business owners who expressed hesitancy about joining the district offered to hang fl yers in their windows promoting the Little Italy effort. Some attendees suggested installing Italian-themed fountains and paint- ing fi re hydrants with the Italian fl ag. “That would be the dream,” Peccia laughed. Email the author at hannah.metzger@westword. com. News continued from page 7 Christmas Party at Mount Carmel Hall in 1936. HISTORY COLORADO. 2004.56.3.
