Seven Santini Brothers
Seven Santini Brothers was an American moving, storage, packing, shipping, and relocation company founded in the Bronx by seven Italian immigrant brothers and dissolved in 1993.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Seven Santini Brothers, also known as Santini Brothers, Inc., was an American moving, storage, packing, shipping, and relocation business established in the Bronx, New York, in 1905. The company was created by seven brothers who had emigrated from Tuscany, Italy: Pasquale, Pietro, Paride, Rinaldo, Agostino, Goffredo, and Martino Santini. Five brothers began the enterprise in April 1905, after Pasquale had immigrated to the United States in 1896 and gained experience working for a cousin in the moving trade. The remaining two brothers joined the business in 1907 after the older siblings had accumulated enough money to bring them to America. The company began with very limited equipment, reportedly including a horse and wagon, but developed a strong local reputation through careful handling, punctuality, courtesy, and honest dealing. Its original business was residential and commercial moving, but it gradually expanded into warehousing, packing, shipping, industrial relocation, and specialist handling of artworks and other valuable objects. The firm's growth reflected the increasing importance of professional moving and storage services in New York and, later, the broader American economy. From 1913, the company operated from premises at 607–609 Jackson Avenue in the Bronx. During the 1920s it acquired a ten-story building at 1405–1417 Jerome Avenue, at the corner of 170th Street. The Jerome Avenue property became the company's principal office, while the Jackson Avenue location continued as a branch. By the middle of the twentieth century, Santini Brothers had become a prominent regional moving and storage operator and was increasingly identified with large-scale, reliable relocation work. The business remained family-led across several generations. Pasquale Santini, who was later credited in his obituary with founding the company, died in 1935. Paride Santini died in 1954. Goffredo, also known as Godfrey E. Santini, served as president and chairman until his death in 1956. Martin subsequently led the company until his retirement in 1964, after which leadership passed to Goffredo's son, Godfrey F. Santini. Rinaldo, the last surviving original brother, died in 1980. At its height, Seven Santini Brothers operated offices and warehouse facilities across the United States and in six foreign countries. It served private customers, businesses, industrial clients, cultural institutions, collectors, and estates. Reported clients included the Smithsonian, the Museum of Modern Art, the Chrysler Museum of Art, Joseph Hirshhorn, and the estate of painter Morris Louis. The company also became known for art handling and installation work, including the employment of James Lebron, described in reference material as a master art handler and installer. The company broadened its industrial capabilities in 1974 by opening industrial packing facilities in Houston and Galveston to support customers in the oil and energy industries. In 1981, a Bronx park was renamed Seven Brothers Square in recognition of the Santini family and business. Changing economic conditions eventually led the Santini family to sell the company in 1988 to another moving and storage company. The new owners dismantled and sold its various operations, and the Seven Santini Brothers organization had been completely dissolved by 1993.
History
Pasquale Santini, the eldest son in a Tuscan farming family, immigrated to the United States in 1896. He found work with a cousin involved in moving and used his earnings to bring his brother Pietro to America. The two brothers continued working and eventually financed the immigration of three more siblings. In April 1905, Pasquale, Pietro, Paride, Rinaldo, and one additional brother established an independent moving business in the Bronx. By 1907, they had brought the remaining two brothers to the United States, completing the group of seven who gave the firm its name. The company developed from a small horse-and-wagon operation into a broad relocation and storage organization. Its early reputation rested on promptness, honest conduct, courtesy, and attention to customers' belongings. Word-of-mouth recommendations helped the firm gain business throughout the Bronx and the wider New York area. In 1913, it was based at 607–609 Jackson Avenue. During the mid-1920s, the company acquired a ten-story building at 1405–1417 Jerome Avenue near 170th Street. This became the main office, while the Jackson Avenue site served as a branch; company advertising in the 1930s used the Jerome Avenue address. Leadership remained within the Santini family. Pasquale died in 1935 at age 61, and contemporary obituary coverage described him as the company's founder. Paride died in 1954 at age 75 after a long illness. Goffredo, or Godfrey E. Santini, served as president and chairman of the board until his death in 1956. Martin then led the organization until retiring in 1964. Leadership subsequently passed to Godfrey F. Santini, the son of Goffredo. Rinaldo, the last of the original brothers to die, passed away in 1980. Under family management, the business expanded well beyond local household moving. It offered storage, packing, shipping, commercial relocation, and industrial services, eventually operating from locations across the United States and in six foreign countries. The organization also cultivated expertise in the movement and installation of art and cultural property. Its reported customers included the Smithsonian, the Museum of Modern Art, the Chrysler Museum of Art, Joseph Hirshhorn, and the estate of painter Morris Louis. This work required specialized handling, packing, transport, and installation rather than ordinary household moving services. The company's industrial division expanded in 1974 with the opening of packing facilities in Houston and Galveston. These sites were intended to support oil and energy customers and reflected the firm's move into large-scale industrial logistics. In 1981, the Bronx recognized the Santini family by renaming a park Seven Brothers Square. The firm later encountered changing economic conditions and was sold by the Santini family in 1988 to another moving and storage company. The acquiring company chose to dismantle and sell the different parts of the operation rather than preserve the organization as an integrated enterprise. By 1993, Seven Santini Brothers had been completely dissolved. The company therefore survives primarily as a historical example of an immigrant-founded, multigenerational New York logistics business whose services developed from local moving into national and international storage, industrial packing, and art transportation.
- 1993
Company dissolved
[1]The successor owners had dismantled and sold the various operations, and the Seven Santini Brothers organization was fully dissolved.
- 1988
Company sold
[1]The Santini family sold the organization to another moving and storage company.
- 1981
Seven Brothers Square named in the Bronx
[1]A Bronx park was renamed Seven Brothers Square in recognition of the business and its founders.
- 1974
Houston and Galveston industrial facilities open
[1]New industrial packing facilities were opened to serve oil and energy-sector clients.
- 1956
Goffredo Santini dies
[1]Goffredo Santini, who had served as president and chairman, died, and leadership passed to Martin Santini.
- 1935
Death of Pasquale Santini
[1]Pasquale Santini died at age 61 and was identified in obituary coverage as the company's founder.
- 1925
Jerome Avenue headquarters acquired
[1]During the mid-1920s, the company acquired a ten-story building on Jerome Avenue that became its principal office.
- 1913
Jackson Avenue location established
[1]The company was operating from 607–609 Jackson Avenue in the Bronx.
- 1907
All seven brothers join the enterprise
[1]The two younger brothers joined after the older siblings had saved enough to bring them from Italy.
- 1905
Moving company founded in the Bronx
[1]Five Santini brothers began their own moving business in April in the Bronx, using modest initial equipment and family labor.
Products and positioning
A full-service, family-operated relocation and storage organization positioned around careful handling, dependable service, courtesy, and specialist capability for industrial, institutional, and fine-art customers.
Moving services · 1905
Residential moving
The company's original service was the movement of household belongings. It built its early reputation in the Bronx through careful handling, punctuality, courtesy, and reliable service, later extending household relocation capabilities through a larger regional and international operating network.
Relocation services
Commercial and office relocation
Seven Santini Brothers provided moving and relocation services for businesses and institutions. This offering formed part of the company's transition from a local household mover into a full-service organization with offices, warehouses, and operating facilities across the United States and abroad.
Storage services
Storage and warehousing
Warehousing became a central part of the company's business. The firm operated storage facilities, including its prominent Jerome Avenue premises, and eventually served customers through a geographically dispersed network of warehouses and offices.
Industrial logistics · 1974
Industrial packing and relocation
The company developed industrial packing and relocation capabilities for large commercial customers. In 1974 it opened facilities in Houston and Galveston specifically to support clients in the oil and energy industries, extending the business beyond household and office moving.
Specialist logistics
Fine-art handling and installation
Seven Santini Brothers handled art and cultural property for museums, collectors, estates, and other institutional customers. The work included specialized packing, storage, transportation, and installation, and was associated with clients such as the Smithsonian, the Museum of Modern Art, the Chrysler Museum of Art, Joseph Hirshhorn, and the estate of Morris Louis.
Brand decisions
1988
Sale of the family-controlled companyM&ABackground
Changing economic conditions affected the long-running family business after decades of expansion.
Action taken
The Santini family sold Seven Santini Brothers to another moving and storage company.
Aftermath
The new owners dismantled and sold the company's separate operations, leading to complete dissolution by 1993.
1974
Expansion into energy-industry packingStrategyBackground
The company was expanding beyond conventional moving and storage into specialized industrial logistics.
Action taken
It opened industrial packing facilities in Houston and Galveston to serve oil and energy-sector customers.
Aftermath
The move strengthened the company's industrial-service scope and broadened its customer base beyond residential and cultural-institution work.
Recent events
- 1993
Seven Santini Brothers operations are fully dissolved[1]
Bankruptcy
Following the dismantling and sale of its operating units after the 1988 transaction, the company ceased to exist as an organization.
- 1988
Santini family sells the company[1]
M&A
The Santini family sold the business to another moving and storage company amid changing economic conditions.
- 1981
Bronx park renamed Seven Brothers Square[1]
Other
A Bronx park received the name Seven Brothers Square in recognition of the Santini family and its business.
- 1974
Seven Santini Brothers expands its industrial packing operations[1]
Other
The company opened industrial packing facilities in Houston and Galveston to serve oil and energy-sector customers.
- 1905
Five Santini brothers establish a Bronx moving business[1]
Other
Five of the seven Santini brothers founded their own moving enterprise in the Bronx after gaining experience and saving money in the trade.
Sources1 sources
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