L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 8, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 32 L'Italo-Americano W h e t h e r c r e a t - i n g e l a b o - r a t e window displays, winning awards at flower shows, or helping launch the Italian Commercial Club a century ago, the Rosaia Brothers – P a l m i r o , F e l i x a n d George – brought energy, determination and, above a l l , a s e n s e o f b e a u t y t o their adopted city. T h e t h r e e b r o t h e r s arrived in Seattle in 1906 a n d b e g a n l a y i n g t h e g r o u n d w o r k f o r a f l o r a l business, an enterprise they knew well. Their father Eugenio had arrived from Tuscany in 1885 and settled i n S a n F r a n c i s c o . A f t e r working for two years to e s t a b l i s h h i m s e l f a s a florist, he sent for his fami- l y . O n c e s e t t l e d i n C a l i f o r n i a , E u g e n i o , h i s wife Filomena and their nine children ran one of the leading floral companies on the West coast. When the massive earth- quake hit San Francisco in 1906, the destruction got the Rosaia family thinking: maybe it would be good to establish a second business c e n t e r e l s e w h e r e o n t h e coast. The family looked to t h e n o r t h a n d s o o n t h e three eldest Rosaia sons arrived in Seattle. The trio spent several years building the nurseries and greenhouses needed to l a u n c h t h e i r b u s i n e s s . A r o u n d t h a t t i m e , t h e y were presented with a gold- en opportunity in their new home town: the Alaska Y u k o n P a c i f i c Exposition. The Rosaia brothers provided many of the floral decorations for the 1909 fair. The exposure created the buzz they need- ed to open their first shop in downtown Seattle. They were on their way. A s e a r l y a s 1 9 1 1 , t h e Rosaia brothers were mak- ing headlines. A 1911 arti- cle in The Seattle Times noted that the brothers had created "one of the most elaborate Easter displays of flowers ever arranged in this city. Their large conser- vatory, containing 2,000 square feet of floor space, the largest of its kind in Seattle, is filled with group- with friends. Thinking he had discharged all the car- tridges, William had unfor- tunately miscalculated and s h o t h i m s e l f i n t h e abdomen. Felix, two years younger than Palmiro, was one of the founding members of t h e I t a l i a n C o m m e r c i a l C l u b , l a t e r r e n a m e d t h e Italian Club, which first met in 1920. The club, modeled a f t e r t h e S a n F r a n c i s c o I t a l i a n C h a m b e r o f C o m m e r c e , g a v e I t a l i a n professionals a place to network. In fact, Rosaia B r o t h e r s F l o r i s t s g a v e many newly arrived immi- grants their start -- not just Italians. After getting his feet wet at a flower stand at Second and James, Felix opened t h e F e l i x R o s a i a F l o r i s t shop at Third and Madison, w h e r e h e r e m a i n e d f o r more than 40 years. The shop was known for serving hot meals to employees as w e l l a s t o m a n y o f t h e neighboring merchants and b u s i n e s s o w n e r s . E d a B o i t a n o w a s c h i e f c o o k , presiding over the down- town lunchroom kitchen as well as feeding the garden- ing crews who worked at Rosaia Nurseries. The brothers wanted to give their shop an elegant and sophisticated feel. Not only were there beautiful flowers artfully arranged everywhere but there was a l s o a d o o r m a n . R a l p h Lindsay Jones, an African American and World War I veteran, manned the door for customers entering or e x i t i n g t h e s h o p . W h e n J o n e s d i e d s u d d e n l y i n 1939, at the age of 46, the brothers donated the floral a r r a n g e m e n t s f o r h i s memorial service. Felix died in 1952 at the age of 76, collapsing on the sidewalk just steps from the f r o n t d o o r o f h i s f l o w e r shop after he had closed up for the day. The third brother George ran the greenhouses and an outdoor nursery. When not working, George loved to entertain his friends under a shade tree in his back- y a r d . T h e r e w a s a l w a y s plenty of bread, cheese and red wine to go around. The next generation of R o s a i a f a m i l y m e m b e r s took the same career path. Palmiro's sons Frank and i n g s o f E a s t e r l i l i e s , A m e r i c a n B e a u t y r o s e s , lilacs, azaleas and rhodo- dendrons." In 1920, a trade publica- tion called The American Florist raved about their floral creation for a holiday luncheon held at the Sunset Club. A massive brightly lit tree greeted the guests as t h e y e n t e r e d t h e d i n i n g room. Decorated with green cones, it was placed amid a huge 12-foot wreath made of holly, cedar and ruscus. Inside the dining room, the table was laid with white cotton batting to look like snow, with holly scattered about. A smaller Christmas tree dipped in white and d e c o r a t e d w i t h c a t t a i l s , green cones, and red and green streamers adorned the table center– all of it illuminated. What a sight! The eldest son Palmiro, b o r n i n 1 8 7 4 , e a r n e d a national reputation as an orchid collector. In 1939, j u s t f o u r y e a r s b e f o r e P a l m i r o d i e d , t r a g e d y struck the family. His 24- year-old son William acci- d e n t a l l y k i l l e d h i m s e l f while cleaning his rifle after a target-practice session Richard entered the busi- ness as did his daughters Nancy and Laura. Frank's decorations for the 1947 S e a t t l e T i m e s O u t d o o r Show were "exceptionally popular with show visitors." F r a n k h a d t r a n s f o r m e d Civic Auditorium into a for- est using thousands of fir boughs arched gracefully over the ceiling to form a g r e e n c a n o p y . B a r k sheathed each auditorium pillar while rhododendrons, a z a l e a s a n d h y d r a n g e a s completed the woodsy set- ting. Nancy and her husband Joseph Getz worked out of t h e i r h o m e . N e i g h b o r s would see the lavender-col- ored delivery trucks stop- ping by to pick up their flo- ral arrangements. Sister Laura and her husband Ray G i u s t i j o i n e d t h e f a m i l y business, as well, and by the 1950s, Giusti was com- pany president. Rosaia Brothers Florists closed its doors in 1988. At its heyday, the company managed greenhouses in Kent and Des Moines and h a d f l o w e r s h o p s i n t h e Olympic Hotel and several other downtown locations. RITA CIPALLA The Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition provided a golden opportunity for the Rosaia Brothers, who supplied this 1909 world's fair with stunning floral decorations (HistoryLink.org) SEATTLE ITALIAN COMMUNITY Rosaia Brothers floral business bloomed in Seattle for 80 years

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