L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano A s the COVID-19 pandemic con- tinues to deci- mate busi- nesses, arts and cultural organizations across the state, every once in a while there comes a silver lin- ing. That was the case this fall when a business in Bu- rien, Wash., forced to close its doors this past spring, ushered in an opportunity for Seattle's Italian Ameri- can community. A large property occupied by the London House Salon & Spa at 13000 1 st Avenue South in Burien was pur- chased October 3, 2020, by a newly formed nonprofit entity called Casa Italiana - I t a l i a n C u l t u r a l Center. The location will house a permanent center to celebrate Italian culture and heritage, language and lifestyle, with a focus on the Pacific Northwest. T h e p r o p e r t y t h a t w a s purchased includes five lots, a 7,000+ square-foot com- mercial building, a two-bed- room house and plenty of parking. It is about 10 min- u t e s s o u t h o f S e a t t l e , o f f Route 509. The new Italian Cultural Center wil l have meeting r o o m s a n d a c o m m e r c i a l kitchen that can be used for e v e n t s h o s t e d b y t h e r e g i o n ' s v a r i o u s I t a l i a n g r o u p s . T h e r e w i l l b e a n Italian library containing a b o u t 2 , 5 0 0 I t a l i a n - l a n - guage books donated by Il Punto, and a small museum to preserve the documents a n d p h o t o g r a p h s t h a t record the history, contribu- tions and sacrifices made by Italian immigrants to the Pacific Northwest. Also on site will be office space, a gift shop and, naturalmen- te, an espresso bar! The story leading to the property purchase was one of those serendipitous occa- sions. London House Salon & Spa had been in business for more than 50 years but could not survive the two month stay-at-home order i s s u e d b y G o v e r n o r J a y Inslee this past spring. The salon closed permanently o n M a y 5 , 2 0 2 0 . S o n s o f Italy member Joe Megale saw the building was up for sale, recognized its potential and spread the word to oth- ers in the Italian communi- ty, said Franco Tesorieri, honorary consul emeritus of Italy and founding member of Il Punto. After touring the property and realizing it was perfect for their needs, a working group was formed, paper- work was filed with the state to create a nonprofit entity, and the property was pur- chased. "From the begin- ning, there was a solid core of people working together," said Tesorieri. "There were members who belonged to associations including Casa Italiana-Italian Community Hall, Italian Club of Seattle, Sons of Italy, Il Punto and San Gennaro Festival plus l e a d e r s f r o m t h e I t a l i a n community, as well." The group came up with a d o w n p a y m e n t o f $450,000; the bulk of the f u n d s w e r e p r o v i d e d b y C a s a I t a l i a n a - I t a l i a n C o m m u n i t y H a l l a n d I l Punto. The rest was made up by private donations. A f u n d r a i s i n g c a m p a i g n t o raise additional capital will be launched soon. "We need to raise money to repay the loan within the n e x t t h r e e y e a r s , " s a i d T e s o r i e r i . " W e a l s o n e e d funds to remodel the build- ing. We want to include a c o m m e r c i a l k i t c h e n a n d expand the meeting hall to accommodate a minimum of 250 people so it can sup- port membership meetings hosted by the local Italian clubs and be used for pri- vate event rentals, as well. This is a huge undertaking and we will need the sup- port and enthusiasm from everyone in the Italian com- munity." Early signs indicate that t h e I t a l i a n c o m m u n i t y i s raring to go. Within weeks after the property was pur- chased, three work parties w e r e s c h e d u l e d t o p u l l weeds, remove trash from the parking lot, and clean o u t t h e b a s e m e n t c r a w l - space. Volunteers packed up and moved the books, films and furniture that were part o f B i b l i o t e c a I t a l i a n a Seattle, a seminal compo- nent of the Il Punto Italian C u l t u r a l C e n t e r i n n o r t h Seattle. In fact, it was Biblioteca Italiana Seattle, founded in 2014, that led to the forma- tion of Il Punto. After both the Seattle Public Library a n d t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f W a s h i n g t o n L i b r a r y declined to accept a collec- t i o n o f I t a l i a n - l a n g u a g e books, Tesorieri and others decided to establish their own library. "The idea was to turn a library space into a meeting point ("il punto") for local Italian and Italian American o r g a n i z a t i o n s , " s a i d Tesorieri. "We began raising funds in the hopes that one day we could own our own facility. Now that dream has become a reality." T o d a y , I l P u n t o ' s Biblioteca Italiana contains fiction and nonfiction, con- t e m p o r a r y a n d h i s t o r i c I t a l i a n - l a n g u a g e b o o k s a l o n g w i t h m u s i c a n d v i d e o s . " R e l o c a t i n g Biblioteca Italiana to the Italian Cultural Center in Burien is an important first step," said Il Punto board m e m b e r M a r g h e r i t a Conti. "Il Punto has put a lot of time and effort into developing the library and our board was unanimous in supporting its move to the new facility. Great liter- ature and the preservation o f a c u l t u r e ' s s t o r y h a v e always been at the heart of any vibrant community, and isn't community a very big part of the Italian heart?" The library and the office o f t h e H o n o r a r y I t a l i a n Consulate, a post currently h e l d b y E l i s a b e t t a Valentini, will move into t h e n e w b u i l d i n g i n November. Tesorieri hopes t o h o l d a n o p e n h o u s e i n December (with all neces- sary COVID-19 precautions in place) to introduce the s p a c e t o t h e I t a l i a n a n d Italian American communi- ty of Washington. A f t e r t h e l i b r a r y a n d offices are established, next steps are to create a cafe, children's school and muse- u m . W i t h t h e s e e n h a n c e - ments, the cultural center will be closer to fulfilling its vision: to create a perma- nent physical space dedicat- ed to embracing and renew- i n g t h e j o y a n d v i b r a n t d i v e r s i t y o f t h e s o u l a n d spirit of Italy. For more information or to make a donation, visit https://www.casaseattle.org Members of Il Punto are justifiably proud of their library, which contains about 2,500 Italian-language books along with videos and music (Photo: Il Punto) SEATTLE ITALIAN COMMUNITY Benvenuto to a new Italian Cultural Center in Burien RITA CIPALLA

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