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Italian-American Bank in Denver, CO 

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Here are some photos of and other information about the Italian-American Bank and the Frazzini & Bros Grocery Store at 2136-2140 15th Street in Denver, CO. Several of these were given to me by Franklin Smith, great-grandson of Prospero Frazzini.

My main Prospero Frazzini web page contains some of these images but on this page, I will try to collect everything that I have about the bank itself.

Updates:

19 Mar 2009 - Created
7 Sep 2010 -  I added two photos that were in Alisa Zahler's recent book "Italy in Colorado".

While the site is being created you can email me :  markd@silogic.com or sign the guestbook.

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1897 Background

From 1897 Dec 13 - How Money Now Sent Abroad Could Be Kept in this Country, Daily Journal (Telluride, San Miguel County)

1906 From the book: Gli Italiani negli Stati Uniti D'America

Aldrovandi, Luigi. 1906. Gli Italiani negli Stati Uniti d'America. New York: Italian American Directory Co. WorldCat shows only 11 copies of this book in their records. This image provided by Franklin Smith.

Prospero Frazzini & Bros (Banca Popolare Italiana)
Nos. 2136-38-40 15th Street, Denver, Colorado

La Ditta Bancaria Commerciale Prospero Frazzini & Bros. è una delle più conosciute in tutti gli Stati di America_ ed anche una delle Istituzioni Italiane più estese specialmente negli Stati dell' ovest.

Il pernio, per così dire, della Istituzione è la "BANCA POPOLARE ITALIANA" coti un capitale di oltre Lire 1,000,000; cui è annessa un'Agenzia di tutte le compagnie di navigazione e ferroviarie, ed un ufficio
notarile.

La Banca Popolare Italiana ha per scopo principale la trasmissione dei Risparmi degli emigrati e fa qualunque altra operazione finanziaria.

La fondazione dell' Istituto vanta ben 15 anni di vita cioè rimonta al 1892.
Gli Ufficiali di detta Banca sono costituiti del

Presidente-    PROSPERO FRAZZINI.
Vice-Pres.-    CESARE FRAZZINI.
Cassiere-    FELICITO FRAZZINI.
Ass. Cass.-    ANTONINO FRAZZINI.

Il capo di tutta la Ditta, anima e vita dell' Istituzione, è il Signor Prospero Frazzini, uomo tutta attività ed energia e conoscitore di "tempi e di cose."

Si vantano

a) Una Casa Principale in Denver, Colorado, ai Ni. 2136-2138-2140 della 15ma Strada in un bellissimo fabbricato di esclusiva proprietà, dai locali spaziosi ed eleganti e che sorge di fronte alla nuova Stazione della Ferrovia Denver, N. W. & Pacific R.R.
Vice
b) Una Succursale ad Ogden, Utah ai Ni. 200-260 della 25ma Strada.

c) Una Succursale a Pocatello, Idaho ai Ni. 138-40 So. lst Av.

La "Prospero Frazzini & Bros," esercita ancora un notevole commercio di generi alimentari importati e del paese; conta gran depositi di vini e di liquori. Importa direttamente dall'Italia ogni specialità del paese; dalle conserve, maccheroni, formaggi e vini del Meridionale, agli Olii e gli Spumanti del Centrale e Settentrionale.

La Ditta gode la fiducia di migliaia di connazionali e vede con piacere di giorno in giorno aumentare le file della sua clientela.
--------------------------------
Prospero Frazzini & Bros (Banca Popolare Italiana) 
Nos. 2136-38-40 15th Street, Denver, Colorado 
 
The commercial banking firm, Prospero Frazzini & Bros., is one of the best known in the United States of America and also one of the bigger Italian institutions that operates in the west. 
 
The title, for so to say, of this institution is "Banca Popolare Italiana" has a capital of over 1,000,000 lire; to which is attached an agency of all the shipping companies and railways, and a notary office. 
 
The principle function of the Banca Popolare Italiana is the transmission of the savings of the emigrants (to Italy) and any other financial transaction. 
 
The foundation of the Institute boasts 15 good years of life that goes back to 1892.
 
The officers of said bank are: 
 
President - Prospero FRAZZINI. 
Vice-Pres. - Caesar FRAZZINI. 
Cashier - Felicito FRAZZINI. 
Ass. Cashier. - Antonino FRAZZINI. 
 
The head of the whole firm, the soul and life of the Institution, is Mr. Prospero Frazzini, a man of activity and energy and expert of "times and of things." 

They boast:
 
a) A main office in Denver, Colorado, at No. 2136-2138-2140 15th Street in a beautiful building of exclusive ownership, from the spacious and elegant places and that it rises in front of the new Station of the Railroad Denver, N. W. & Pacific R.R. 
 
b) A branch in Ogden, Utah at No. 200-260 25th Street. 
 
c) A branch in Pocatello, Idaho at No. 138-40 South 1st Avenue. 
 
"Prospero Frazzini & Bros, " practices a notable commerce of imported groceries and the country; it houses a large stock of wines and liqueurs. It directly imports from Italy every specialty of the country; preserves, macaronies, cheeses and wines of the South, to the Olive Oil and the Sparkling Wines of the Central and Northern areas. 
 
The firm enjoys the trust of thousands of fellow countrymen and sees day by day an increase the number of its clientele.

The "Denver Northwestern & Pacific Railroad" (DNW&P) changed its name in 1913 to the "Denver & Salt Lake Railroad" (D&SL) which was popularly known as the "Moffat Road".

1906 Banco Populare Italiana

Here are a couple of close up views of the bank photo. Left Side & Right Side. Note that when this photo was taken, the addition later added to the left of this building was not done yet. Compare to 1920 photo below.

A very poor copy of this photo appears in the Museo in SPA. Here is the cover of the book:


1906 Italian American Directory Company


1920 Italian American Bank

In 2010, I got two photos from History Colorado. These photos orginally appeared in the book Italy in Colorado, Family Histories from Denver and Beyondby Alisa Zahler. Here are two of the photos of the bank. The photos are circa 1920 and are Copyright © by History Colorado (Colorado Historical Society) and are used with permission. Click on the thumbnail photos to see a 72dpi version.

Italian American Bank and Frazzini & Brothers Merchantile, Fifteenth Street, Denver
c. 1920. CIAPA Archive
Courtesy Debbie (Spaulding) Fugate and Sandra (Morganti) Spaulding

Photo from page 157 of the book Italy in Colorado, Family Histories from Denver and Beyondby Alisa Zahler. In this photo, the left hand one-third of the building had been added on - compare to 1905 photo above. You can order a copy of the book at the History Colorado web site.
The Italian American Bank, left to right: Cesare Frazzini, unidentified man, Felix Frazzini and Prospero Frazzini
c. 1920. CIAPA Archive
Courtesy Debbie (Spaulding) Fugate and Sandra (Morganti) Spaulding

Photo from page 157 of the book Italy in Colorado, Family Histories from Denver and Beyond by Alisa Zahler. You can order a copy of the book at the History Colorado web site.

From John diIullo, after I asked him about the unidentified man in the  photo: "I just spoke to my mom and she said that is [my grandfather] Carlo [diIullo].  She said that she has seen similar photos and will try to find them. I will post as soon as I get them." Carlo diIullo is known to have worked at the bank and is mentioned in the 1917 bank holdup article elsewhere on this page.


1908 Moffat Road Terminals, Denver
            
Title  Moffat Road Terminals, Denver
Call Number  MCC-1104
Summary  Moffat Road station (Denver and Salt Lake Railroad, formerly Denver, Northwestern and Pacific), 15th (Fifteenth) Street and Bassett, Denver, Colorado; engine number 109 loading on track one, excursion train loading on track four, two railroad coaches on track two; trolley in distance; horse-drawn delivery wagon (Adams Express Company) backed up with supplies being loaded onto train; "Moffat Road" sign and billboard; other signs includes "White & Bower, Wholesale Hay", "Cremo Cigars", and "Drink Zang's Beer"; Frazzini & Brother (Felix & Prospero) Banchieri e Commercianti (2138 15th - Italian American bank); edge of gas expansion tank behind Moffat Depot.
Date  [1908 or 1909].
Photographer  McClure, Louis Charles, 1867-1957.
Collection  L. C. McClure collection 1890-1935

Used with permission : ©Denver Public Library, Western History Collection (http://photoswest.org).
Below is a zoom in taken from a high resolution scan of the above photo.
From another photo, we can read some of the words on the side of the building. The sign reads:
Cav. Prospero Frazzini & Bros
Banchieri & Commercianti
________________
Succursali
________________
Pittsburg, Penn.
Ogden, Utah
Pocatello, Idaho
S. Pietro Avellana, Italy
Awaiting permission to use photo

From this photo, you can see that an addition was put on the building sometime between 1906 and 1908. The addition is the part of the building on the left with four windows on the second floor and no awning on the first floor.


Ron Frazzini ( fraz0046tc.umn.edu ) sent me this picture of Prospero and his brothers in front of the Italian American Bank on 15th Street. Original photo ©Franklin Smith, used with permission. Left to Right: Cesare, Prospero, Felicito.





1917 Bank Robbery at the Italian-American Bank

At the Colorado Historic Newspapers Web Site, I found this article:

Here is a PDF (850KB) of an article from the 26 Nov 1917 issue of the Rocky Mountain News which describes the robbery. Bradley Terry got this copy from microfilms. The photo does not show up very well.
These men from SPA were mentioned in the article:
-- Oreste Cinea - uncle of Rayna Valentine, in family tree data base.
-- Carlo diIullo - grandfather of John diIullo, in family tree data base
-- Amico diGiacomo - probably brother of Gaetana diGiacomo who married a Jacovetta. Great grand uncle of Franklin E. Smith.
-- Dr. R Albi - See his own web page.
-- Herman Mapelli  2551 West Twenty Sixth Street, a cousin of the Frazzini Brothers, Name in Italian was "Armando" - brother of Giuseppe Mapelli
-- Giuseppe Mapelli - assistant cashier, married to Maria Cioffi, sister of Degna Cioffi who married Cesare Frazzini.
-- Prospero Frazzini
-- Cesare Frazzini

These men were not from SPA:
-- Nick Caruso from Price, UT.
-- Jerry Ditallo - appears in 1910 census and WWI Draft Reg. He was born in New York. Forman of the Walker Manufacturing Company which was next door to the bank on 15th Street..
Could the robbers have been the Carlini Brothers?


The Bank and Store Building in Denver 2004

A friend in Denver, Don Karch, and Bradley Terry, helped find the Bank building in 2004. Here is a photo:
2004 Prospero's Bank building. It is numbered 2128 15th Street. Photo by Don Karch.

Other Branches

The sign on the side of the bank building in Denver listed the branch offices -  Pittsburg, Penn., Ogden, Utah, Pocatello, Idaho, and S. Pietro Avellana, Italy. (This was from an old photo that actually showed the side wall. That wall is now obscured by the newer building built next to the bank.)

I asked Rayna Valentine to see if she could find the branch in Pocatello. I had found reference to its address in an Ellis Island manifest as 138-40 So. 1st Ave, Pocatello, Idaho.

Rayna sent me these photos:

Rayna wrote:
None of those buildings have been around for decades.  The corner of Center St and South 1st is now a plaza with single- story interconnected buildings and walkways and landscaping.  It's owned by the largest law firm in town, Racine, Olson, etc etc. The complex takes up the east half of the block to the alley and south to the intersecting Lewis Street. (Clark, of course is the street on the other side of Center which is not visible in either photo.)  The rest of the streets in the Pocatello Original Townsite are named for explorers/pioneers.   .  Lots more info than you needed!

We couldn't read anything that said Italian American Bank, either, but the big MONEY TO LEND is pretty convincing, since, under our addressing protocol 138-40 would be slightly north of mid block and that's exactly where that little building lies.  Notice the ROOMING HOUSE sign?  No actual name--as if the name of a place were secondary to advertising what it was.


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