Hoboken’s favorite son, Francis Albert Sinatra, was born on Dec. 12, 1915. He was the son of Italian immigrants who lived in a modest tenement apartment at 415 Monroe St.
Sinatra’s childhood house burned down in the 1960s. All that remains is a brick arch and an empty lot, as well as a bronze star out front that is often visited by tourists.
Though it’s no longer standing, the home’s location on the city’s west side sheds some light on why Hoboken so loves Sinatra.
An Italian heritage
Sinatra’s father, Anthony Martin Sinatra, was born in Catania, Sicily. His mother, Natalie Garaventi, also known as Dolly, was born in Genoa, Italy.
Anthony was an undistinguished bantamweight boxer who toiled as a boilermaker in the Hoboken shipyards when his son born. He later became a Hoboken fireman.
Dolly was a Hoboken legend in her own right. According to an article in Time magazine, the outspoken Dolly started out as a practical nurse, but soon found herself tending the family’s bar at the corner of Jefferson and Fourth streets. Dolly also sang at church socials, and was involved in the city’s Democratic Party.
In the mile-square city, most of the original Italian immigrants settled on the west side. The lack of good, paying jobs and the depletion of natural resources brought about by a population boom in Italy prompted flocks of immigrants from the Italian peninsula to leave for the promise of a better life in America.
During Hoboken’s rougher days, Willow Avenue was the divide between the Irish and the Italians. This arbitrary border stayed firm until the 1960s.
There are still dozens of locations throughout the west side that remind local Italian-Americans of the days when the neighborhood was entirely Italian. There are social clubs relating to specific Italian towns of origin, as well as Italian churches, bakeries, delis and restaurants.
Many of the original immigrants took advantage of the construction boom at the turn of the century or worked on the docks. While jobs were available, the life of an Italian longshoreman was far from ideal. The hours were long, the pay meager.
Many – if not most – of the immigrants wanted to make enough money to return to their hometowns in Italy, but in the end, very few did. That longing for their homeland created in Hoboken a close-knit community that felt a deep reverence for the old country.
These difficult times made conditions prime for the emergence of a hero, someone who was able to transcend. Without doubt, for Hoboken that person was Sinatra.
A star was born
Sinatra started out as a singing waiter, but by his 20s was performing with his hero, Bing Crosby. His velvety voice, coupled with his charm and charisma, made him a cultural institution in the mile-square city. For many, he epitomized the American dream – a Hoboken kid from meager beginnings who made it to the pinnacle of success.
Although Sinatra grew up in Hoboken, the last time the late crooner was actually in the city was in 1985, when he received an honorary degree from the Stevens Institute of Technology.
Before that, he had visited with Ronald Reagan when Reagan came to the annual festival sponsored by Saint Ann’s Church. Reagan was running for re-election in 1984.
There are as many rumors about why Sinatra abandoned his hometown, as there were mysterious middle-of-the-night Sinatra sightings in which he supposedly visited friends. Some say he turned his back on the city when he became famous; others say he was egged during a parade.
But the love affair with “The Voice” never waned. After his death in 1998, thousands of flowers were placed at an impromptu memorial in front of his childhood home. Today, there is a bronze star there donated by Sinatra fan Ed Shirak, Jr.
Every year on his birthday, the city throws a party complete with cake and candles at City Hall.
For several years, there was even a modest museum next door to his birthplace that contained a menagerie of autographed pictures, memorabilia, and letters of correspondence between Sinatra and his family.