Carloni, Luca and Adelaide (Cardellini)
Updated: Oct 6
Luca (Louie) was born in Antrodoco, Italy. In 1913 at the age of 17, he travelled to Calgary where he reunited with his sister Melvina, who emigrated with her husband Giuseppe Fabbi in 1904. (See Fabbi story) He settled in the community of Bridgeland, where he found employment first at Burns Foods, later at the Palliser Hotel and also working in shoe repair.
Sadly, Luca’s sister, her husband, and their daughter all died during the influenza epidemic in December 1918. Upon learning of their deaths, Luca left Calgary for Nordegg, Alberta, where he took responsibility for his three orphaned nephews and found work in the coal mines. Determined to earn enough money to build a stable future for the boys, he arranged for them to be placed at Lacombe Home in Midnapore (now part of Calgary) until he saved enough money to build a house where they could live together. Once he could support a wife and his nephews, Luca wrote to his parents in Antrodoco, asking them if they knew of a young woman willing to emigrate to Canada and become his wife.
On a farm near Antrodoco, Adelaide Cardellini (the oldest of 11 children) heard Luca was looking for a spouse who would marry him and emigrate to Calgary. She chose to make the journey and to become his bride. Travelling alone by boat, she arrived at Ellis Island on November 30,1923, where she was detained overnight due to a misunderstanding caused by a language barrier. After a long journey she met Luca for the first time at the train station in Calgary on December 13th. Adelaide stayed with the Santopinto family until she and Luca were married on December 16, 1923, at St. Mary’s Cathedral. They left the next day for Nordegg, where Luca had a house and continued working in the coal mine there. Adelaide a new bride became an instant mother to Luca’s three orphaned nephews who were now 12, 11 and 8 and came to live with them. Their first child a daughter, Lydia was born in Nordegg in (1925).
After legally adopting his nephews, Luca and Adelaide moved back to Calgary in 1926 with the boys and their daughter, Lydia. They made their new home on First Avenue in Bridgeland where Luca returned to the Palliser Hotel and later the Empire Hotel. The family grew with the births of their daughters Nina in1929, Anna in1934, and son Lawrence in1944. In 1928, Luca became an entrepreneur and opened Canadian Shoe Shine on 8th Avenue E, in operation until 1941. He often employed and trained new Italian immigrants in his shoe repair store.
In 1938, Louie opened two locations of Empire Shoe Shine —One on 8th Avenue SW next to the Palace Theatre and another on 102 – 10 Street NW. He also started Great West Importing, providing traditional foods for the Italian community. That same year, he sponsored a peewee hockey team called the Riverside Empires, who won the 1938 city championship.
On December 31, 1949, Louie opened the L.C. Ballroom at 109 4 Street NE, just in time for New Year’s Eve Celebrations. A family trip to Italy in 1952 inspired a renovation of the ballroom, which was then reopened as “The Isle of Capri Supper Club”. (See Isle of Capri Story) It quickly became a popular gathering place for both the Italian community and the broader Calgary public—it was a place to eat, socialize and dance to live music, host banquets, baptisms, weddings, and Nordegg reunions. Italian Club meetings were also held there until the organization purchased its own building.
A fire consumed the Isle of Capri in March of 1967. The damage was so extensive that the buildings could not be saved and were demolished. Ever the entrepreneur Capri Car Wash was built on the same site and opened in September 1968. The combined car wash and gas station—one of the first businesses of its kind in Calgary operated until 2016.
Throughout their lives they were active in the Italian community, Adelaide with the women’s organizations and Louie with the Giovanni Coboto Loggia. He was one of the founding members of the The Italo- Canadian Associazione when it was formed and was instrumental in the early development of the Calgary Italian Club and OLPH Church. After the war, they sponsored many family members to emigrate to Canada and helped them settle with housing and employment in Calgary. If officers came across an Italian immigrant with no where to go or were lost at the train station, they would bring them to Luca and Adelaide’s home knowing they would receive a meal and support.
Louie was a widely respected entrepreneur and business man within both the Italian community and the broader Calgary business community was known for his generosity and willingness to help anyone in need. For example, in 1960, when Italian immigrants struggled to get loans from traditional banks, he organized the formation of the Columbus Credit Union so that Italians could borrow money. True to his nature, he would often call a meeting at his house and get things moving to solve any challenge facing the Italian community. Attending a Booster Club dinner inspired him to organize an Italian-themed dinner to support Italian athletes, and The Juventus Soccer Club This led to the creation of the Italian Sportsmen Dinner.
Another example occurred in 1964, when the RCMP raided his garage and destroyed all of his homemade wine and winemaking equipment along with many others in the Italian community. Louie rallied others to challenge Alberta’s Liquor laws. Their efforts eventually led to the Alberta government passing new legislation in 1967 that legalized home winemaking.
Living next door to the Italian Club meant their home was always filled with famiglia, especially grandchildren, friends, conversation, and—of course—“Mangia,Mangia!” An example of one beloved family tradition started in 1926, family and friends attended the Calgary Stampede Parade together. After the parade, everyone gathered at the Carloni house for food, music, and singing. As grandchildren grew old enough, they often slept at Nonno’s house the night before the parade, rising early to save seats for the rest of the family. This tradition of attending the parade and gathering aftewards continues today four generations after it started.
Lydia married Sam (Ron) Taverna and had three children. Nina married Tony (Anthony) Valerio and had four children. Anna married Aldo Bercan and had two children.
Lawrence married Rita Poscente and had four children; after their divorce, he married Brenda Surri and had two children.
Luca (Louie) passed away on February 1,1974 at the of age 76. Adelaide passed away on November 20, 2006 at the age of 101.
Nonno and Nonna’s legacy of strong Italian roots, food, family and sense of community will live on through the family they built.
Written by: Theresa Taverna
Source: Family photographs, personal and family recollections
Editorial Review: Reviewed and formatted by the Calgary Italian History Project for web publication