Little Italy piazza headed for late 2025 opening in San Pedro

A groundbreaking for the new Italian Piazza, part of San Pedro’s Little Italy district took place Thursday October 20, 2022 in downtown San Pedro. (Photo by Chuck Bennett, Contributing Photographer)

Peppertree Plaza, the grassy corner best known for San Pedro’s winter holiday celebrations, is destined to become an Italian Piazza under plans going forward to create a central spot for the town’s Little Italy. A sign unveiling and celebration is set for Oct. 5. Eventually, the small park, which the council office said is underutilized now, will be the site of The plaza is planned to become Piazza, a central gathering place that could host open markets, cultural events, craft fairs and coffee carts with outdoor tables and chairs in San Pedro on Friday, September 27, 2019. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)

Peppertree Plaza, the grassy corner best known for San Pedro’s winter holiday celebrations, is destined to become an Italian Piazza under plans going forward to create a central spot for the town’s Little Italy. A sign unveiling is set for Oct. 5. Eventually, the small park, which the council office said is underutilized now, will be the site of The plaza is planned to become Piazza, a central gathering place that could host open markets, cultural events, craft fairs and coffee carts with outdoor tables and chairs in San Pedro on Friday, September 27, 2019. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)

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San Pedro’s long-awaited piazza — the European-style plaza in the new Little Italy section of downtown near the waterfront — appears to be on track to be finished late this year.

The Little Italy section of downtown San Pedro received LA City Council approval in 2018 to recognize the role Italian immigrants played in the Harbor Area’s early days, when commercial fishing drew folks from a wide radius. A groundbreaking for the piazza — originally hoped to be open by late 2024 — took place in October 2022.

The centerpiece of the district, Piazza Miramare, referring to the view of the sea — Los Angeles’ working harbor is across the street — was designed by Gensler, an award-winning architectural firm, and will provide a European-style gathering space at the corner of Harbor Boulevard and Sixth Street, next to the town’s historic municipal building, 638 S. Beacon St.

It is envisioned to host open markets, cultural events, music, craft fairs, summer outdoor movies and coffee carts.

The plaza is a project of Little Italy of Los Angeles.

A fountain originally was planned to go into a converted historic urn that sits on the property, but technical complications prevented that.

So organizers have purchased a fountain that has been shipped from Florida and will be assembled on site. It will stand about 10 feet tall and is currently in storage at Warehouse One at the Port of Los Angeles.

Called “Fontana dei Pescatori,” it will sit at the north end of the piazza. The east side of the piazza will host “The Waterfront Trellis,” offering a shaded open space to sit and watch ships pass through the Port of Los Angeles.

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On the east side of the piazza will be terraced seating — “Beacon Steps” — where visitors can also sit and meet up with others.

Sponsorships of floor bricks at the Piazza and tiles on the Fontana del Pescatore are available at the Little Italy website.

The Little Italy project was launched by former Councilmember Joe Buscaino, whose own family was among the early Italian immigrants.

While the coronavirus pandemic slowed the progress of the district, several Italian businesses and restaurants have already moved into storefronts there.

The piazza, once it is finished, will offer cultural and entertainment programs, under the direction of the Little Italy of Los Angeles Association. Construction originally was expected to take 12 to 18 months. The plan, Buscaino said at the time, would bring new activity and color to what has been an underutilized patch of city park space.

“As we know, San Pedro is home to the largest concentrated Italian American population on the West Coast,” Buscaino said at the time, noting that Los Angeles is known for its ethnic districts, including Chinatown, Olvera Street and Little Ethiopia.

The concept for Little Italy, he said, was also to create a bridge between San Pedro’s historic downtown and the waterfront that is undergoing development.

The area’s current councilmember, Tim McOsker, has been active in supporting the Little Italy project as well and after taking office following Buscaino, he instituted a community “Garlic and Gaelic” celebration on St. Patrick’s Day near the piazza to celebrate Irish and Italian cultures, food and entertainment. The event this year is set to take place from 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday, March 15, at Sixth and Mesa streets in downtown San Pedro.

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