CLINTON — Work is scheduled to start in early September on the building in the village of Clinton that’s home to Romanelli Communications, a marketing-communications firm. A trust in the name of the Romanelli family owns the structure at 2-4 College St. at the intersection with Park Row, according to a news release the Romanelli […]
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CLINTON — Work is scheduled to start in early September on the building in the village of Clinton that’s home to Romanelli Communications, a marketing-communications firm.
A trust in the name of the Romanelli family owns the structure at 2-4 College St. at the intersection with Park Row, according to a news release the Romanelli firm issued on Aug. 22.
The Romanelli family is having crews repoint (repair the mortar between bricks) the building’s brick work and install new windows in the coming weeks.
“Most of it [is] just trying to repair what we can and keep the building … looking like it has for over 100 years,” says Joe Romanelli, president and co-owner of Romanelli Communications.
Romanelli, who is based in Boston, spoke with the Business Journal News Network on Aug. 25.
The Romanelli family believes the update, including the repair of “deteriorating” mortar and crumbling bricks, is “necessary” to ensure the building’s safety.
The building houses the Romanelli agency, which employs nine people, along with Café J, a coffee and pastry shop, and Rogue & Royale, a women’s clothing store, according to Joe Romanelli.
The businesses will remain open during the improvements.
“We’re all trying to stay open through the whole thing, so it’s something we’re trying to accomplish in a quick fashion,” says Romanelli.
H.R. Beebe, Inc. of Utica, which is serving as the contractor on the project, is set to begin work on the project on Sept. 2, the day after Labor Day, says Romanelli. The entire effort should last a couple of weeks, he adds.
The project costs total about $175,000, according to Romanelli. The Romanelli family trust that owns the building is financing the project.
The Romanelli family had to seek the approval of the Clinton Historic Preservation Commission to move forward with the renovations, says Romanelli.
The building has a “long, proud history,” and it’s time to ensure its future, Beth Romanelli-Hapanowicz, vice president of Romanelli Communications, said in the news release.
“This is a busy, very visible location, and the walls and windows have suffered from severe weather and very heavy traffic over the years. It was no longer an option for us. It was necessary work to improve safety for pedestrians, to make it more comfortable, efficient and secure for our tenants and staff, and in the process preserve the beautiful, historic character of the building,” said Romanelli-Hapanowicz.
Property history
The property, which became part of the state and national historic registers in 1982, dates back to the late 18th century, according to Romanelli Communications.
Moses Foot, the founder of Clinton, N.Y., grew up in a home that once stood on the site.
After his death in the early 19th century, Foot’s son constructed a two-story hotel on the site, which fire destroyed in the late 1800s.
Charles Ives eventually built the brick building that currently sits on the property.
Timothy Hogan bought the location in 1906, and his family owned the site and operated various businesses there for many years.
Some in the area still know it as “Hogan’s Corner,” according to Romanelli.
The Bristol-Meyers Company launched on a nearby property in 1887, a company that has evolved into an international pharmaceutical firm.
Later in the 20th century, Don Romanelli, Sr. purchased the property in 1984.
He is the father of both Romanelli-Hapanowicz and her brother and company president, Joe Romanelli. The younger Romanellis currently co-own the agency.
After purchasing the property, the elder Romanelli moved his advertising agency to the site. His agency and several other local businesses have “prospered” at the site through the years, according to the agency’s news release.
The brick was cleaned of paint in the mid-1980s, but the mortar and brickwork is all original material from more than a century ago.
“The building has been around since the late 1800s and a lot of the brick work is the actual original brick work, so we’re definitely getting to the point where we need to figure out a way to sustain the building for the future,” says Joe Romanelli.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
