Eugene De Rosa
Eugene De Rosa (1894 – c. 1945) was an Italian American architect, called at birth Eugenio. He worked in New York City and specialized in the design of theatres.
Eugene De Rosa
1945
Italian American
Architect
De Rosa's business flourished from 1918 to 1929, particularly during the Roaring Twenties, but it largely declined during the Great Depression. During the 1930s he spent some years in London and settled for a while in Naples. Toward the end of World War II he was reported to be back in New York and beginning to work on post-war theatre projects, just before his death.
Early life[edit]
De Rosa was born in Calabria, in the far south of mainland Italy, in 1894. While he was a small child, his parents emigrated to the United States, arriving through Ellis Island and settling in New York City, where they were living by 1898. De Rosa had four brothers, Felix, Jerry, Vincent, and John; and a sister, Sylvia. His brother Felix also became an architect.[1]
Career[edit]
By 1918, De Rosa was practising as an architect, quickly choosing to specialize in theatre design.[2] An early project was his Vanderbilt Theatre, New York (1918).[3] By 1919 he was in a partnership called "De Rosa & Pereira", and that year he represented several clients in appeals against decisions of the superintendent of buildings of the City of New York.[4]
During the 1920s, De Rosa obtained many more commissions for new theatres. The great driving force during his Roaring Twenties career was "the phenomenal growth in popularity of motion pictures", and his early work included the Times Square (1920), the Apollo on 42nd Street (1920), and Klaw (1921) Theatres.[5] One important design for a site on Hyatt Street in St. George, Staten Island, provided not just a grand new theatre but also stores and offices.[6]
De Rosa's business was largely destroyed by the Great Depression of the 1930s,[1] during which he took the opportunity to travel overseas. He spent some years in London and settled for a while in Naples, where in 1935 he was reported to be "wonderfully helpful" to American and English visitors.[7] His brother Felix De Rosa, also an architect, sold insurance during the Depression.[1]
Before or during the World War II, De Rosa returned to New York City, where by 1944 he was working on new theatre projects.[8] However, his death in about 1945 prevented the revival of his career.[1]