Italian Hall Memorial Park

The Italian Hall memorial.

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Location:

Calumet, MI

Significance:

Contributing Structure to the Calumet National Historic Landmark District

Amenities

6 listed

Accessible Sites, Benches/Seating, Cellular Signal, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Parking - Auto, Wheelchair Accessible

The Italian Hall Memorial Park is located just north of Elm and Seventh streets in downtown Calumet.

The Società Mutua Beneficenza Italiana, or Italian Mutual Benefit Society, met at their social hall on this site for decades, renting out the upstairs to other area groups. The Italian Hall building was a two-story brick structure with space for commercial businesses on the ground floor and a large meeting hall with a stage on the second story. During a party here on Christmas Eve of 1913, a false cry of "fire" incited a panic that claimed the lives of over 70 people, many of those children. The building was demolished in 1984 amid concerns for public safety. A memorial park was created with the original stone archway repositioned in the center of the lot. Behind the building's reconstructed entrance arch, a granite monument lists the names of those lost. Interpretive panels tell the story of the disaster.

A memorial service is hosted at the site each year on December 24th.