Consulate of Italy in Detroit
The is the Detroit office of the Italian Consulate, which has jurisdiction for the states of Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee. Consular services are furnished on an equal, impartial, efficient and transparent basis. The consulate ensures all co-nationals protection against the violation of their fundamental rights and the limitation or privation of their personal freedom. They also ensure emergency assistance, help in locating family members, inheritance procedures initiated abroad and for the repatriation of mortal remains.
Address: 535 Griswold
Buhl Building, Suite 1840
Detroit, MI 48226 USA
Phone: +1-313-963-8560
Fax: +1-313-963-8180
Email:
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Web Site: http://www.consdetroit.esteri.it/Consolato_Detroit/
The presence of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Detroit was established on the 10th of November 1899, when Mr. Pietro Cardiello, a broker of an Italian bank, was appointed Consular Agent under the representation of the Consulate General of Chicago. At the turn of the century, the Italian community was in fact already well established in Michigan and held prominent positions in business and craftmanship.
The subsequent development of the automobile industry in the following years attracted a great number of Italian immigrants. Even the founder of Fiat, Giovanni Agnelli, came to visit the factories of Detroit for pure inspirational purposes. In 1926, the post was officially elevated to a Vice Consulate, under the auspices of the Consulate General in Chicago. Umberto Nobile and the Under-Secretary of State Suvich were amongst the dignitaries who visited Detroit during that time.
When Italy went to war, the Vice Consulate was closed and a large portion of the archives were burnt. The remaining files were stored in the Church of the Silvestriani Order. In December 1946, the Vice Consulate was reopened in the First National Building, and its jurisdiction expanded to cover the state of Indiana. In the following years, the Italian community increased both in number and importance, as was portrayed by the visits of Prime Ministers De Gasperi and Scelba and by the President of the Republic Gronchi.
Following the increased prominence in 1954, the post was elevated to a First Class Consulate. When the Consulate in Cleveland was closed down in 1980, Ohio was added to the Consulate's jurisdiction. In 1997, when the Consulate in New Orleans was closed, the Consulate extended its jurisdiction to both Kentucky and Tennessee. Since 1990, the Consulate has held its office in the Buhl Building, a valuable example of architecture in the down-town Detroit area.
