Starting in 1850, the building at 114-116 Common St (corner of Camp St.) served as offices for ship merchants, life insurance and law firms, watchmakers, investment companies, and more. From 1918 to 1925, it was the local office for the Eli Lilly Pharmaceutical company. Tony Latino’s Sons operated out of the space from 1938 till 1956, when the building was demolished.
Tony Latino, a native of Contessa Entellina in Sicily, Italy, moved to New Orleans in the 1880’s. A profitable saloon keeper, he opened a wholesale liquor business around 1900 and ran it from his home at 1301 Chartres St. (at Barracks). He was a highly esteemed businessman in New Orleans, and a member of the Elks and the Giovana Birsaglieri Italian society. When he died at age 58 after a brief illness, his 1916 obituary referred to him “as one of the best of the city’s Italian citizens.”
Tony and his wife Laura had two daughters and four sons. All four of the Latino sons were involved with the spirits business in some way. Sam and Nunzio both operated bars at various times; John and Ben joined their mother in running their father’s wholesale business, moving it to 515 St. Philip St. and renaming it Tony Latino’s Sons.
During the Prohibition years, they all self-described as being in the fruit and produce business, and in 1927, John entered the real estate world. In 1933, as soon as alcohol was legalized again, Tony Latino’s Sons was back in business. Within a few years, they were one of the fastest growing and largest liquor and wine distributors in the area. Both brothers held office in the Louisiana Wholesale Liquor Dealer’s Association and were known well in society. They moved the business to 114 Common St. in 1939.
Tony Latino’s Sons closed in 1956, when the Common St. building was demolished. Ben transitioned into real estate, while John opened a real estate and life insurance firm. Both continued to be very active in charitable organizations, in particular the Elks, Kiwanis, and Lions Clubs, as well as religious organizations attached to St. Mary’s Italian Church and St. Louis Cathedral, both located in the French Quarter. Socially, they were prominent figures in the Italian Union and the Contessa Entellina society, which was the largest of the Italian American societies in New Orleans. They were also involved in Carnival organizations: the krewes of Cynthius, Elenians, MidCity, and Adonis. John died in 1976 and Ben in 1985.
