1923, Nuccio Family at their Store

1923. Nuccio family in front of their grocery store. Robert Charles Nuccio Sr. is standing in front of their automobile. Seated in automobile from left to right: Mary Viotto Nuccio, Mary's mother Nona, child is Chelestina and standing child is John Albert. Photo was probably taken upon the retirement of Robert Sr. from the grocery store and delivery business that he started in 1910. In 1923 Robert Sr. sold the business to John Gadeschi and Joe Vivalda. Photo was probably taken at 450 Hewitt Street, which was the address of Robert Sr.'s successful grocery and delivery business. View also shows the delivery truck used by the business.

1886-1915, D.W. Davis Groceries

1886-1915. Exterior view of D.W. Davis Groceries and Provisions store. Photo was taken at the site of the current restaurant (Little Joe's Restaurant) at 900 North Broadway. Building was originally constructed in 1886. The same building houses today's restaurant. Possible photo is of D.W. Davis. John Gadeschi bought the building from Davis in 1927.

1939, Restaurant Exterior

1939. Exterior view of Little Joe's Restaurant and Little Joe's Groceries at 900 North Broadway. Photo was probably taken to document business name change from Italian American Grocery Co. to Little Joe's. Photo shows restaurant room on the left and grocery store on right.

1927, Italian American Grocery Co.

Exterior view of Italian American Grocery Co. at 900 North Broadway. Photo was probably taken to document purchase of the building by John Gadeschi and Joe Vivalda. At the left is the restaurant room which was acquired by Gadeschi and Vivalda around 1933. The expansion of the grocery business into the restaurant business was necessitated in the early 1930s by an increasing number of construction workers frequenting the grocery store for meals and driving away other customers from the grocery business. By expanding to the cafe next door, John and Joe were able to keep their grocery customers and accomodate an increasing number of restaurant/meal customers. The Italian American Grocery Co. bought its first stove in 1933. The grocery business site remained an active grocery store at the corner of the building shown in photo until 1984.

1940, John Gadeschi & Joe Vivalda

ca. 1940. Group photo taken inside Little Joe's Restaurant, 900 North Broadway. From left to right: Margaret Vivalda, Joe Vivalda (died in 1954), Blanche Gadeschi and John Gadeschi.

1940, John Gadeschi

ca. 1940. Photo taken inside Little Joe's Restaurant, 900 North Broadway. Seated at table in foreground is: John Gadeshi and Lina Markham. Partial view of Joe Vivalda may be seen at the back of the table.

1940, Group Photo

ca. 1940. Photo taken at Little Joe's Restaurant, 900 North Broadway. From left to right: Unidentified woman; Gene Duran (longtime customer); John Gadeschi; Lina Markham, an employee for 38 years; Joe Vivalda; a longtime customer known as "Frenchie" and an unidentified woman.

1940, Main Dining Room

ca. 1940. Main dining room at Little Joe's Restaurant, 900 North Broadway. This room underwent significant redecorating in the mid 1950's. At the top, center of the photo is the street access door which opens onto North Broadway. Woman standing in dark dress at left of photo is longtime employee, Lina Markham. Man standing at right of photo in white shirt is John Nuccio. Note animal trophies mounted on walls. These animals more than likely were previous lunch specials at the restaurant.

1950, Dinning Room

ca. 1950. Interior view of Little Joe's Restaurant Photo probably taken at the time of, or near the time of the grand opening of the large restaurant room. Waitress standing at left is "Cherry." Man with mustache standing at center is Victor Campanelli, an employee with Little Joe's for 42 years. Man standing with arm outstretched at right is Robert Nuccio Jr.

1950, La Boheme Room

1950. Group photo inside Little Joe's Restaurant. View shows the Opening of La Boheme Room at Little Joe's Restaurant, 900 North Broadway. This room, at the back of the building was first added in the 1930's. The room originally had a tin roof and dirt floor. Woman seated at front table, far left wearing a white hat and black dress is Marion Nuccio. John Gadeschi is seated on her right. John Albert Nuccio is seated at the center front table and is turning to face the camera. Blanche Gadeschi is seated at the extreme right of the photo.

1960s, John Nuccio

1960s. Photo of John Nuccio. Portrait hanging on wall is of John Gadeschi.

1960s, Downstairs Room

1960s. Interior view of Little Joe's Restaurant at 900 North Broadway. Photo shows the downstairs dining room, added in the mid 1960's.

1962, Before Remodeling

1962. Exterior view of Little Joe's Restaurant, 900 North Broadway. Photo taken before major remodeling of the building took place.

1960s, Original Dining Room Remodeled

1960s. Interior view of Little Joe's Restaurant at 900 North Broadway. View shows the original dining room. Photo was probably taken after the room was remodeled in 1960's.

1964, Additional Room

1964. Little Joe's Restaurant, 900 North Broadway. Photo taken after the additional room was added on the north side of the building (left) and before the hotel floors were removed from the main building.

1960s, Banquet Room

1960s. Interior view of Little Joe's Restaurant at 900 North Broadway. Photo shows the Banquet Room, built in the mid 1960's. Note modern art murals on the walls.

1968, A. Nuccio & V. Campanelli

ca. 1968. Photo of Albert Nuccio (left) and Victor Campanelli, standing outside Little Joe's Restaurant at 900 North Broadway.

1970, Charitable Event

ca. 1970. Group photo of a Charitable event dining group, taken inside Little Joe's Restaurant at 900 North Broadway. From left to right: Lina Markham, longtime employee of the restaurant; Fil Pirrell, newspaper columnist; Jack Lalane, celebrity; John Nuccio; a Times restaurant columnist (not named); Victor Campanelli, longtime employee of the restaurant and Rudy Vallee, a celebrity.

1970, Nuccios & Campanelli

Early 1970s. Little Joe's Restaurant at 900 North Broadway. From left to right: John Albert Nuccio, Steve Nuccio and Victor Campanelli, a longtime employee of the restaurant.

1972, After Remodeling

ca. 1972. Exterior view of Little Joe's Restaurant, 900 North Broadway. Photo taken after major remodeling of the building.

Little Joe's Middle Room

Interior view of Little Joe's Restaurant at 900 North Broadway. This room used to be an old kitchen and is now a small dining room known as the "Middle Room."

Murals Inside Little Joe's Restaurant

Interior view of Little Joe's Restaurant at 900 North Broadway. View is of the back dining room. Murals painted in this room were taken from photos that John Gadeschi took on a vacation trip to Italy.

Wild Game at Little Joe's

Photo taken at site of the current restaurant at 900 North Broadway. Photo probably taken in the basement room at the restaurant. According to well established family stories, the basement room was used to dress or clean wild game caught at Joe Vivalda's ranch near Ft. Tejon, to be served at the restaurant. Kneeling at right: Joe Vivalda, others unidentified.