Bardelli sisters in front of Bardelli’s Confectionery

Bardelli’s was said to be the oldest ice cream parlor in South Chicago. It was opened in the late 19th century at 3134 E. 92nd Street by Equilio Bardelli, who had immigrated to the United States from Italy. Bardelli’s was sometimes called a variety store, a confectionery, or an ice cream parlor. It had fountain service in the front and a seating area with tables for families and groups in the back. The business would later pass on to Equilio’s son Marino and his wife Olga, who were the parents of Loraine and Virginia, the young women portrayed in this photo. Marino in turn passed the business on to his son Robert who operated it until the 1970s. In an oral history, Rudolfo Serna recalled going to Bardellis with other young people after Sunday mass at nearby Our Lady of Guadalupe church. According to Serna, “The guy there was real nice…Every Sunday about two dozen of us would pile into that place. In the morning, he knew we were going to come. And he made a big pot of hot chocolate. And there was a bakery right across from the church…Right after Mass, we used to go there and grab a bag full of Mexican bread, run over to Bardelli’s, and a whole clan would sit there and talk and just have a great old time.”