A business becomes visible
A directory can make a neighborhood visible. In the 1930 Selected Directory of the Italians in Chicago, the macaroni category lists “Alghini Richard” at 941 Polk, telephone HAYmkt-5812. That entry is not a full biography, but it gives a named man, a trade, an address, and a telephone exchange.
Richard Alghini speaks in the trade press
A 1936 Macaroni Makers’ Voice clipping reprints Richard Alghini’s response on the processing-tax refund question. The clipping identifies him as president of Alghini Macaroni Mfg. Co., Chicago, Illinois, and gives the date of the quoted letter as February 6, 1936.
That is valuable because it is contemporaneous and signed. The surrounding issue metadata should be verified before adding more publication detail, but the clipping itself establishes that Alghini was publicly identified with the company’s presidency in 1936.
The September 1936 fire notice
A September 1936 item titled “Alghini Plant Burned” reports a fire at the Alghini Macaroni Manufacturing Company plant at 919 S. Western Avenue. The trade journal estimates damage at $50,000, identifies Richard Alghini as president, and says production would be sped at the company’s Polk Street plant.
The notice says the fire was believed to have been caused by a discarded lighted cigarette. That wording records a belief reported by the journal, not a conclusive official finding.
What the record does not establish
A later bankruptcy notice names Richard and Anna Alghini, copartners doing business as Alghini Macaroni Manufacturing Company. These records leave important questions unanswered.
The sources collected here do not establish that the fire was deliberately set, that anyone demanded payment from the business, that organized crime was involved, or that the fire caused the later bankruptcy. Those are research questions—not findings.
Help research Chicago’s Italian businesses
Do you recognize a surname, address, trade name, photograph, or family connection in this story? The Institute’s standard story-submission process welcomes documented leads, family materials, and corrections for editorial review. Share what you know through Share a Story.
