The building that once housed the Italian American Museum (IAM) at 155 Mulberry Street, was razed a couple of years ago only to enjoy a rebirth with a completely new structure that will serve as a cultural hub and community nexus for Italian Americans and the Little Italy neighborhood. The projected opening is projected for the Columbus Day weekend of 2022.

The IAM was charted in New York State as the first Italian Museum in America in 2001 about a year after the successful exhibition of “The Italians of New York – Five Centuries of Struggle and Achievement” at the New York Historical Society that was sponsored and curated by when Dr. Joseph V. Scelsa, who lead the Italian American Institute At CUNY in 1999. Dr. Scelsa is the Founder and President of The Italian American Museum.