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Sunday, October 13, 2024
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Born in Zoppola, Pordenone, Italy, Antonio
Colautti came to Canada in 1913. He first settled in Montreal
where he met and married his wife, Maria Costaperaria,
with whom he later had four sons and two daughters: Garry,
Norman, Walter, John (later Rev. John), Enes and Alice.
In 1919, Antonio Colautti, along with his wife and his
brother John, moved to Windsor and with their brother-in-law,
John
Costaperaria (John Costa) and Anthony Collussi, they bought
Bertini Tile and Terrazzo, and a year later incorporated
Colautti Brothers as cement and sewer contractors. |
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| They
quickly expanded the company to include ceramic tile and terrazzo
for both residential and commercial projects. The company was
first located at 612 Langlois Ave. The business grew as it hired
new immigrants who came to the area, helping them to make a start
here in Canada. One of those individuals was Baldo Camilotto,
a Terrazzo craftsman who joined the company in 1923. |
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Keystone Contractors working
on the Queensway.
Courtesy of Alice Kurosky, P10793. |
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Baldo Camilotto began his
craft at the age of 12, in 1906, after finishing school in
the Province of Udine, Italy. He went with his uncle to Prague,
Czechoslovakia, to learn mosaic tile and terrazzo work through
a three-year apprenticeship. He was a soldier for the Italian
army in the First World War, served in the Alpine Regiment
and was decorated for heroic action. In 1921, after
working in Detroit for two years, he
moved to Windsor.When he joined as |
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manager
of tile and terrazzo, the |
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| company
was still using horses kept in a barn behind the office in
a building
at
Langlois Ave. and Tuscarora. His daughter, Clorinda, married Bruno
Nicodemo, who later became the owner of Colautti Brothers. Their
son, David, is the current President of the company. |
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Courtesy of Alice Kurosky P10794
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Due to the Italian name
of their company, it became increasingly difficult to procure
government grants thanks to the fascist regime in Italy
in the 1930s. It was, therefore, decided in 1930 to create
a new
entity – Keystone Contractors comprised of the same
individuals who ran Colautti brothers. Keystone Contractors
handled the heavy construction projects while Colautti Brothers
became a subsidiary, specializing in tile and terrazzo. Keystone
became a major contractor to the Ontario Department of Highways
during the 1930's. Projects included the Highway No. 2 reconstruction
between Tilbury and Chatham and construction of the final
link of No. 2 between
Montreal and Windsor, from Belle River Side road to Windsor There
were also many sewer |
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projects
which the company was a part of in |
| Ottawa,
Toronto and Barrie. Keystone Contractors was also involved in
mining projects,
including a patented method of recovering gold from granular deposits.
During the wartime years, business at the company continued to
flourish and grow, expanding to 300 employees. |
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Colautti
family in 1963. Antonio is in the centre, with wife Maria, celebrating
their 50th wedding anniversary. Wayne Colautti is at the far
right. Courtesy of Alice Kurosky, P10796. |
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| They
also expanded across the province. In the 1930s, they began
to work in Ottawa and in 1953 Antonio’s son, Walter,
opened a Colautti company branch there which still is in existence
today as Colautti Construction.
In 1947, they moved the company to a new location at 2490 McDougall.
Antonio’s other son, Garry, worked for Keystone Contractors
west of Toronto and became president of the company after his
father. Norman Colautti, Antonio’s son, who was injured
in the war, became president of Colautti Bros. in Windsor.
In 1964, Colautti Brothers introduced carpeting as it continued
to boom in residential and commercial construction. Some of
the major local projects that the family was involved in were
St. Angela Merici Church’s addition, the 401, Casino
Windsor and the Devonshire Mall.
Over the years families grew, and while some remained in the business, many
others wished to pursue their own paths. By 1960, there were 25 shareholders,
only six
of whom held the Colautti family name. By the 1970s, it was decided that the
business should be sold. In 1973, Bruno Nicodemo, who had joined the company
20 years earlier and had been a shareholder for many years, purchased Colautti
Brothers. Keystone Contractors was purchased by a Montreal based organization.
In 1980, Colautti Bros. moved to its current location on Howard Ave.
In 1973, Antonio’s grandson, Wayne Colautti, began his own flooring company – Unique
Flooring - located at 5365 Outer Drive which continues to be
run by members of the Colautti family as it has been for the past 31 years.
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The
opinions and interpretations in this publication are those of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of the Government of Canada. |
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