I'm An American -- Attilio Piccirilli

On June 15, 1940, Attilio Piccirilli spoke with Marshall E. Dimock, Second Assistant Secretary of Labor, on the NBC radio broadcast about being a naturalized citizen for 50 years. Piccirilli tells Dimock he forgot he was born abroad. He confesses he feels like a foreigner in his birth country because he thinks and speaks like an American. Attilio Piccirilli shares with Dimock his first thoughts of America as his boat docked in the harbor. He explains why had to become an American immediately and why he will forever be tied to the land. Attilio Piccirilli says the greatest gift America has given him was not money but opportunity for joy. Attilio Piccirilli was born on May 16, 1866 in Massa-Carrara, Italy. In 1888, he moved to New York City with this family. The six Piccirilli brothers established a residence and sculpture studio in the Bronx. The workroom became an important center for American art hosting visitors like President Roosevelt, Enrico Caruso, and John D. Rockefeller. Attilio and his five brothers were master sculptors and marble carvers. Many artists brought their casts to the studio to be cut by the family. Original Piccirilli sculptures can be found throughout the country, including the carving of Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial. Attilio’s works include the Main Monument in Central Park, the Firemen's Monument on Riverside Drive in New York, the Police Memorial Statue at the NYPD Headquarters, and the Monument to Guglielmo Marconi in Washington D.C. He co-founded the Leonardo da Vinci Art School in Manhattan which offered art education to thousands from 1923 to 1940.