Joseph Carabelli was a self-made man, an Italian immigrant who built a successful business in Cleveland that contributed to the local arts scene in ways that are still evident today. Born in 1850 in Porto Ceresio, Italy, Carabelli was apprenticed to a stone cutter while a young man. In 1870 he emigrated to the United States, settling in New York City where he remained for 10 years.

Determined to succeed in his new American environment, Carabelli took English classes at night in order to become fluent in the language as quickly as possible. In 1880 he followed a familiar pattern—moving west to seek greater opportunity.