The home of the Maltese Broadway and Hollywood star is situated in St Julians and it’s currently being demolished to make way for a five-storey guesthouse and a small ground-floor shop.

“Urgent appeal to the Authorities to save a remnant of this piece of cultural heritage we have just lost,” the post started.

The house was named Jo-El as a combination of his and his wife, Eleanore’s, names. They resided there after his retirement from filming in 1963, the man said.

“He fitted out his 19th century St Julian’s house with mod-cons including elevator, air-conditioning, and intercom, all reportedly the first of their kind in a private residence in Malta.”

Calleja was highly sought after due to his versatility.

He could act as a priest as well as a family father figure and he was known for his tough guy image. He played the father of Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin and also worked alongside famous Italian tenor Mario Lanza as his music teacher.

The application (PA/6831/18) to demolish the home was submitted by Ivan Azzopardi, whose architect is former minister Jesmond Mugliett. It drew objections from both Din l-Art Ħelwa and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage; they focused solely on the architectural merits of the two old townhouses that were targeted for demolition.

Meanwhile, the case officer assigned to the application also recommended refusal due to parking concerns in an area where parking spaces are already scarce.

What do you think about the demolition of Calleja’s home?