In 1986, the Town of Hamden accepted the donation of the campanile and electronic carillon from the children of Philip Paolella in honor of Ciro Paolella, founder and president of the Plasticrete Corporation. Born in Italy in the province of Benevento, Ciro Paolella worked most of his life in Hamden and developed a building block firm into a concrete products manufacturer of national reputation. The campanile also honored the Italian community of Hamden for its constructive contributions to the town's progress. It celebrated the early, continuous, and significant role of Hamden residents of Italian birth or descent, who as workers, business and property owners, teachers, artists, and participants in many other endeavors grew to become the largest segment of the community and assumed important government responsibilities in service to Hamden's inhabitants. An outline map of Italy identified the regions from which they came by percentage, with the largest share from Campania.