Rocco lived to a ripe old age.On this block in 1835, Ann Arbor’s first Catholic mass was said by Father Patrick O’Kelly in James Horrigan’s home. Irish and German Catholics settled nearby and in 1845 built the first St.Thomas church. On the corner to your right in 1899, church member Francis Stofflet built row houses for his married children. On the opposite corner in 1902, Italian immigrant Rocco Disderide moved his house to make way for his new grocery store.
In 1921, Desderide sold the grocery store to the Diroff family who operated a similar kind of "Mom and Pop" store until 1980. Illness forced the Diroffs to sell their building to attorney Arthur Carpenter, founder of Kerrytown, whose attempt to operate a delicatessen was not successful. The proprietors of Zingerman's, however, who followed him in the deli business at this location, now have a million-dollar business specializing in huge sandwiches, unusual foods, and catering. They are one of Ann Arbor's major tourist attractions and the hustle and bustle of the shop is evidence of their success. They opened for business in March of 1982 and have recently expanded to operate a cafe in the house next door.
Rocco Disderide was the proprietor of a grocery in the brick deli building, who moved the house from the corner to make way for that building.
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