User:Yo Landia/Pancrace Balangero

Pancrazio Balangero Big text, 1887-1974, was an unsurpassed ornamental wrought iron artisan.

He crafted unique pieces for many Montréal and area churches, buildings and homes. His architectural works can be found as well in Drummondville, Sherbrooke, Valleyfield, Ottawa, and in the Laurentians as far as Ferme Neuve. Works in private collections are found in many places including residences in Montreal, Blainville QC, Ottawa, Toronto, Alexandria ON, and Grand Haven MI.

His works adorn such beautiful and internationally renowned churches as St-Germain d’Outremont, St-Jean-Berchmans, l’Oratoire St-Joseph, St-Joseph de Mont-Royal, Saint Pierre Claver, and others in Montréal, Ottawa, Valleyfield and Drummondville. He was commissioned by the architects of the churches to design ornamental wrought iron works. These works vary from integral \to the church design and function to highlight pieces. He crafted phenomenal and unique communion rails, tables, pulpits, lamps, funeral coaches, chandeliers and more. Each project centered around its own unique design theme that carried throughout the pieces in each building.

Some of these churches are still open to the public while others need appointments for visits outside of celebration times. Some of the churches have been designated historical landmarks, guaranteeing that his work will live on for centuries.

Early Years Bold text

Pancrazio Balangero. known to his french circle as Pancrace, was born of Italian parents who were living in Narbonne, France at the time of his birth: 8am July 4th, 1887. His early years were spent in France. His family moved back to their home town of Pinerolo, Torino, Italy when Pancrazio was still a young boy. His father was a shoemaker Pancrace did his military service in Italy. A talented musician, he served in the military band where he played the trumpet. He attended college at the Torino Institute from where he graduated with a double major, mechanics and artistic wrought iron.

Family life in America Bold text

He arrived in the Americas at Ellis Island in 1911 at 23 years old on board of the ship La Lorraine. He spoke French and Italian. He came to America to work in Montréal as a mechanic. When he first arrived in New York, he stayed with friends from Italy that had relocated there, the Sesteros. Through them, he met Iolanda Ermini, who moved to New York with her family in 1906 aboard the Liguria which also landed at Ellis Island. Iolanda arrived at the young age of 16 with both her parents, her younger brother and her sister. Both his and his wife's arrival are documented in the archives of the Ellis Island Foundation.

Pancrace visited New York a few times after his arrival. He and Iolanda married in 1913. They were one of the 29 marriages that year held in the newly built Saint Anthony’s Van Nest church in the Bronx area of New York City. The church had been built in 1909 for the Italians of New York. Iolanda was lucky enough to have all her immediate family attend the wedding: her mother Fanni Giutini, her father Francesco (Frank), her sister Fosca and her brother Oscar (Dave). Pancrace’s New York friend who introduced him to Iolanda, Ettore Sestero, had married your great grandmother’s sister Fosca two years previously. Iolanda’s family and Ettore lived on Melville Street in the Van Nest district of what is now the Bronx borough of New York City. A booming working class neighbourhood at the time, bubbling with hope, life and activity, it has unfortunately fallen in disrepair today.

Soon after the wedding, Pancrace brought Iolanda to Montréal where their children were born: Fosca known as Coco, Eugene, Liliana.

Pancrace opened his first garage in Griffintown shortly after his arrival. That would later prove to be a great move to fuel his artistic endeavours. As you can well imagine, only the wealthy owned cars in 1916!

As a young couple, Pancrace and Iolanda settled in what is now a hip area of the city of Montréal, Griffintown. At the time, it was a working class Irish area with nice size stone and brick houses, duplexes and triplexes. They lived right in the centre of the hub on the main floor of a grey stone triplex still standing at 782 Versailles. Pancrace opened his first garage on Inspector street. Where it stood is now the approach to the autoroute 720 found south of the Bell Centre. As his business grew so did his garage. He relocated it to the corner of Jeanne Mance and Viger, then known as St George and Vitré. It was on the south side where the Palais des Congrès, the Montréal convention centre, is now found.

In 1918, with their oldest children Fosca and Eugene only five and four years old, they relocated in an area that was to become another beloved area of Montréal known to this day as Little Italy. When the family first moved there, the area was still under development and a very famous and still happening market, the Jean Talon market, had not yet opened. Jean Talon street was still known as Isabeau.

In 1924, just before or after the birth of Liliana, they bought the house in which they would live for the next 50 years. At that time, it stood at the corner of St-Zotique and Drolet. I say at that time because the house was moved! In 1927 they relocated the house diagonally across the street. Envision a full two storey duplex rolling on large timber trunks while being pulled by horses hundreds of feet! The house landed at 6701 avenue Henri Julien where it still stands today. A beautiful red brick building with typical Montréal balconies and an attached garage, it is unfortunately not presently being kept in its original glory.

The reason for relocating the family house was because Pancrace was able to buy a lot that spanned a city block on St-Zotique between Drolet and Henri Julien where he wanted to build a large garage. The garage he built was two full storeys and spanned the block. It had concrete floors supported on concrete pillars. The second storey was accessed by concrete ramps built to support the multitude of cars coming to get tuned and repaired in the late 1920s.

Although Pancrace stopped his involvement in mechanics in 1932, he kept the garage property and rented it out. In the final years of his life, it was leased to a Peugeot dealership. Upon his death, the family sold it. Contrary to the house, the garage has been very well kept over the years. The property, no longer a garage, has been converted into a beautiful and modern office building.

Pancrace and Iolanda lived in the same house for 50 years! They lived in one house in two locations and they lived both in the downstairs and the upstairs. The house, first a duplex was converted to a triplex in the late 1950s. Pancrace, Iolanda and Fosca occupied the full upstairs. It was a large flat for an inner city: three bedrooms, one den, dining room, living room, eat in kitchen, back closed porch, front balcony, full bath and a storage attic like area which provided the grandchildren, with hours of play amongst the old treasures retired there. It had an inner courtyard for playing. It had a garage where some of his tools found a home after he retired and where he tought his grandchildren some basic tool handling skills. It also had a full basement, albeit with a low ceiling, where Pancrace made wine every season from grapes he imported from California.

From mechanic to artisan Bold text

Pancrace had a forge in the corner of his garage where he would practice his art and build wrought iron works. One busy day at the garage, while patiently waiting for his car, a wealthy businessman meandered through the garage and came upon a hidden corner of the building where he discovered strange tools and a hot burning fire. Amongst the large thongs, heavy mallets, strong vices and pails filled with cold water, the man saw an incredibly well crafted and delicate work: a beautiful rose adorning a thin leafy thorny branch. He bought it on the spot and ordered floor lamps and ashtrays from the budding artist. The man’s friends, impressed by the works, soon came by the garage to place orders for themselves. Architects followed wanting his works incorporated in their buildings. By 1932, Pancrace abandoned his career as a mechanic and plunged himself full time in his art. He hired and trained apprentices and other artists to help with the commissions. He operated three different forges and produced countless amounts of items.

From a flat piece of iron Pancrace brought to life dragons and roses under vine canopies. Storks and dragonflies took flight. Palm leaves and bull rushes rustled. Iron to him was soft and pliable. He immortalized in time delicate hummingbirds and fierce winged serpents.

On his income as an artist, Pancrace was able to buy a triplex in a major city and build a large commercial building. He owned a car. In 1947, he was able to add to his real estate portfolio a summer vacation property in Vaudreuil-Dorion which provided him and his family so many wonderful memories. He made enough money as a mechanic to send his wife and young children, Eugene and Fosca to Europe in the early 1920’s and then as an artist to travel himself and with his family many times in eastern Canada, the United States and Europe as well as to leave a substantial estate in 1974.