Code,990060
Subject,Nicholas Mazzone
Date ,7/24/13
Interviewer,Bethany Hollowell
Abstract,Nicholas Mazzone talks about growing up in Cleveland's near west side and the clubs and tensions of the 1960s and 1970s.
Tags,"Clark-Fulton, St. Rocco's, Downtown Cleveland, Mazzone & Sons Bakery, John Carroll University, Leo's Casino, University Circle, Midtown Cleveland, Hough, Glenville, Collinwood, Lakewood, Brooklyn, University Heights, racial discrimination"
Special Notes,none.
minutes:,
0,"Intro. Born in Cleveland, 1951; Grew up in Clark-Fulton- St. Rockaway area on near westside; 3609 Clark Ave; Father owns a bakery with 2 of his uncles; mother was a stay at home mom; 2 siblings; currently lives in Brooklyn OH."
1,Talks about the house on Clark Ave; Mazzone & Sons Bakery at 3519 Clark Ave.
2,"Mentions his cousin runs the bakery now; Grandfather and older uncles started it; Father- who was a barber by trade- went to work there in 1950, retired in 1977. "
3,His father was born in the US but grew up in Italy; Father returned to the states at about 17.
4,Father came to Cleveland as there was family here; Discussion of the big Italian community and other ethnic groups in the area.
5,Talks about going to Downtown with his mother.
6,Brief mention of going to baseball games with his father; Memories of schools in neighborhood like St. Rocco's or Walton.
7,"Talks about the kinds around his neighborhood- still friends with a lot from that time; St. Rocco's Parish in its 99th year, mentions grandfather baked the bread the men ate when the new church was built."
8,Still active in that parish; Mentions ethnic demographics- second largest group was Puerto Ricans.
9,Mentions that he went to St. Edward High School in Lakewood on a scholarship- most of his friends went to West Tech.
10,"Mentions that the only time he came ""across the river"" was for baseball games; Attended John Carroll College."
11,"His John Carroll ""commuter"" experience; Description of various neighborhoods he passed through."
12,cont.
13,cont.
14,Mentions the move to Brooklyn was due to neighborhood declining- families began moving out.
15,"A factory bought the family's home in Clark Fulton area, tore it down."
16,"Talks about John Carroll- classes, demographics, percentages of males and females, etc."
17,Talks about Little Italy.
18,[18:38] Talks about blacks moving into his old neighborhood in the late 1970s.
19,Renters and neighborhood decline; Clubs in downtown Cleveland.
20,"Talks about clubs and college i.d.s or ""apprenticeship"" cards."
21,"Many clubs mentioned: Plato Club, the Agora, Down Under, etc."
22,Apprenticeship card explanation.
23,Talks about why he thought there weren't as many blacks in the trades and colleges; mentions blacks at CSU.
24,[23:55] Civil Rights movement recollections- specifically Collinwood High School problems and fights between Blacks and Italians in the area (heard from a black coworker).
25,Newspapers were his only real exposure; mentions assassinations of MLK and Robert Kennedy.
26,Talks about Leo's Casino and the University Circle Clubs.
27,"More about going to Leo's Casino and the heavy Motown influnece in his ""greaser"" neighbohood."
28,cont.
29,cont.
30,Talks about racial discrimination against artists- Rat Pack story.
31,cont.
32,"Mentions Leo's Casino was more midtown, University Circle clubs more ""mod""."
33,cont.
34,"Talks about seedier venues- Short Vincent's, the Roxy, the Theatrical."
35,cont.
36,Talks about the Forum Cafeteria and La Cave- never went there but had heard of it.
37,Mentions the area around E. 105th and Euclid was seedy.
38,Talks about the Hough and Glenville riots.
39,Brooklyn demgraphics discussion.
40,cont.
41,Mentions the bakery is still there and running.
42,cont.
43,"Large supermarkets moving in, first Kroger's, then Fisher foods- now Giant Eagle."
44,cont.
45,cont.
46,cont.
47,Local customers and diversification has kept bakery afloat- most of the business is now wholesale.
48,Talks about grocery store vs. bakery quality.
49,"Returns briefly to ""greasers""; mentions Rat Pack again; Frank Sinatra and the Richfield Coliseum show."
50,"Talks about working in steel mills, like Republic Steel, in '69-'71."
51,cont.
52,cont.
53,Says his fondest memories of his old neighborhood were the friendships he made; Local playground.
54,cont.
55,cont.
56,cont.
57,Talks about ethnicies and how it wasn't just the Italians who stuck together.
58,Mentions a friend married a mixed race wife with artistic (recording) connections.
59,Talks about some of the nice people he met throrugh her.
60,end.