Suffolk forges ahead with plans for Italian American museum

Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine announced plans to form a new committee tasked with finding a location to create the county's first Italian American museum, recognizing contributions from the county's largest ethnic population.

At a news conference Thursday, Romaine said Suffolk County will announce names of the committee members during A Taste of Italy, a commemorative event on Oct. 19 celebrating Italian American Heritage and Culture Month with pizza, pasta and music.

"We're going to build a museum system in this county that we don't have now," he said.

No cost estimates are available yet as to how much the county might commit to creating the museum.

Suffolk County's Italian population of more than 316,000 is the largest of any county in New York, according to the American Community Survey's 2024 estimates.

Romaine said the hope is for the county to announce a location for the museum, an opening date and initial exhibits by some point next year.

Joseph Scelsa, founder and president of the Italian American Museum in Manhattan's Little Italy, shared the history of how the cultural institution was borne out of an exhibit at the New-York Historical Society in 1999.

"I saw more people coming to that exhibit and enjoying and appreciating and learning about our culture than I ever did in the classroom where I taught Italian American studies at Queens College," he said.

Romaine said the county will lean on Scelsa's expertise in forming its museum.

The Oct. 19 event, co-hosted by the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the H. Lee Dennison Building on Veterans Memorial Highway in Hauppauge and will feature food from Mama Angelina's in Hauppauge and entertainment by Louis Del Prete.

"We're going to celebrate this with a lot of pizzazz and most important, good Italian food," Romaine said.

Thomas Lupo, national president of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America and assistant to the county comptroller, said the proposed museum will celebrate the "rich heritage of Italian Americans" and allow for traditions to be passed on to future generations.

By Joe Werkmeister

joe.werkmeister@newsday.com

Joe Werkmeister joined Newsday in 2022 and covers Suffolk County government and politics. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.

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