3. 8 Prince Street Had Ties to the Mafia
Nolita has its fair share of former Mafia locations, and perhaps the most notable is 8 Prince Street. The building was the site of a spaghetti parlor belonging to Giuseppe Morello, the first boss of the Morello crime family, who was nicknamed “The Old Fox.” Morello, whose right hand had just one finger, ordered death sentences for those who opposed him; it is estimated his main enforcer committed more than 60 murders in 10 years. Morello led operations from the 8 Prince Street shop, which was the site of a particularly gruesome murder. Benedetto Madonia, one of Morello’s counterfeiters, was stabbed to death and stuffed in a barrel. The incident led the NYPD to bring about his downfall.
Right across the street at 9 Prince Street was another important Mafia location, an import market belonging to Lupo the Wolf, otherwise known as Ignazio Lupo. He was a member of the Sicilian Black Hand, running large extortion operations as well as robberies and murders. Lupo merged his crew with others to form the Morello crime family. Lupo, who operated a number of grocery stores in the Little Italy area, was often present at 9 Prince Street, planning operations.