Mecum presents the Petrozzini Estate Collection

ABOUT THE COLLECTION

The late James Petrozzini was a man of discerning tastes and excellent investment sense. After getting a jump on real estate development in the city of Chicago in the early 1960s, Petrozzini founded Lincoln Park Property Management, which today is one of the largest residential development companies on the North Side.

That successful career and resulting financial fortune allowed Petrozzini the ability to indulge in his keen appreciation for fine art and antique automobiles and to acquire and care for those he considered to be the best in the world. Six of his amazing autos crossed the auction block in Monterey, while the remaining vehicles, of which there are nearly 100, stayed in sweet home Chicago awaiting their turn to parade across the Mecum red carpet at the Chicago 2019 auction.

Photo - Mecum Auctions

A connoisseur and aficionado of many varying art forms, Petrozzini was also an accomplished artist himself—a musician, to be precise. As a semi-professional piano player, Petrozzini released a number of rock ’n’ roll records under a stage name in his younger years, not necessarily vying for audience attention, but rather in pursuit of a healthy artistic outlet. Often, for artists and collectors alike, creating, curating or even just enjoying art is itself the point—no audience required. And for Petrozzini, he was more than content to enjoy his various collections and art curations in private, away from prying eyes.

Though Chicago may be a metropolis, teeming with life and the relentless bustling of business and busybodies, Petrozzini somehow managed to tuck away his massive collection of desirable classic cars into a private storage facility at the heart of it all.

Photo - Mecum Auctions

With the extensive selection of hidden treasure finally released from extended internment, the Petrozzini collection is now ready to get back out into the limelight as well as into the hands of successful bidders in Chicago.