Sylvester Z. Poli
Sylvester Zefferino Poli (December 31, 1858 – May 31, 1937) was an Italian immigrant to the USA who became a theatre magnate during the late 19th-century and early decades of the 20th century.
Starting with a career in wax sculpting, he quickly moved on to dime museums, curios, variety shows, and ultimately vaudeville theatres and movie palaces.
Born in the village of Piano di Coreglia, a suburb of Lucca, Tuscany, Italy on New Year's Eve, 1858,[2] his father was a church organist, and his mother made cakes and candies to sell.
During the Franco-Prussian War, the Poli's gave refuge to the family of noted French sculptor, and intimate friend of Napoleon, M. Dublex.
Sylvester left his home at the young age of 13 to accompany Dublex back to Paris, where he would take on an apprenticeship to learn the art of modeling in clay and wax.
[3] He returned to Italy for 32 months to complete his military obligation,[4] then went back to France to resume his studies and accept employment with the Musee Grevin in Paris.
He modeled kings, queens, presidents, and also constructed groups like the Chambor of Horrors, "Fulton's Invention of the Steamboat", and Life of Christ.
While seven anarchists were under sentence of death for participation in the Haymarket Riots in Chicago, Poli secured permission from the authorities, and families of the prisoners, to reproduce them in wax using their real clothes.
[7] In 1888, Poli formed a partnership and opened a combination of museums and theatres in Toronto, Canada, Rochester NY, and Staten Island.
[7] From 1897 until 1926, Poli continued to build theatres, in Waterbury, Bridgeport, Meriden and Hartford Connecticut, in Springfield and Worcester, Massachusetts, in Jersey City, NJ, in Wilkes-Barre and Scranton, PA, and Washington, D.C.
She was a prominent figure with the Veterans of Foreign War, and also received the Italian Cross of Honor from Queen Elena of Italy.
Poli built the Villa Rosa Terrace[10](named after his wife) in Woodmont, Milford, Connecticut, consisting of the main house, and ten (10) waterfront cottages, which he gave to their children.
He also purchased winter homes for each of the girls, with the exception of Lillian (Lily), who would go on to marry Marquis Lippi Gerini,[11][12] and move back to Italy with her new husband.
Overwhelmed with grief, Poli had a marble mausoleum[13] erected in their son's memory in St. Lawrence Cemetery, West Haven, CT.
"[21] (Completion Dates and Names May Vary) Harry Houdini, Shirley Booth, Bert Lahr, Jimmie Durante and Eddie Jackson, Mae West, Georgie Jessel, George Burns and Gracie Allen, Jack Benny, Edgar Bergen, Ray Bolger, Bill "Bo Jangles" Robinson, Will Rogers, Sophie Tucker, Eva Tanguay, Theda Bara, Fred Allen, Baby Rose Marie, and the list goes on.
