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| Jim Curry, Owners Rep |
We’ve restored, retrofitted, and/or rehabbed more than 25 buildings… just in Old City. Our offices are in Old City and we have had a personal interest in seeing "history" thrive in this community.
My wife, Ellen, and I lived in Old City for 13 years and are still active in the Old City Civic Association.
The Shane's project has been a “treat” for us. Although the budget was tight, we managed to provide the owner’s with a plan that gets their operation up and running effectively, (Phase 1) while planning for additional restoration (Phase 2) of its historic fabric.
The project also allowed us to implement a wide range of our services including Pre-Construction Planning/Budgets, Design-Build, Code Compliance, and Historical Commission Approvals. We also reached sustainable benchmarks for "green" construction.
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| Shane Candies facade during restoration |
Shane Candies
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| Candy coming soon...... |
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| Shane Candies display area during restoration |
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| Jim Curry & Eric Berley |
Along with retooling the equipment, another highlight was the careful craftsmanship required in rebuilding the store and its storefront. The tin ceilings, stained glass, original counters, lighting fixtures, tile-work, marble, and hardware have all been hand stripped, painted, reworked, and/or refinished. We also discovered and restored some features that were hidden beneath “improvements” made over the last 30 – 40 years. The arched windows at the base of the storefront are one such feature.
Owner’s Rep collaborated with the Berley’s before the building was purchased. We inspected, estimated, researched, value-engineered, and consulted with the City of Philadelphia to determine the project feasibility and cost. We then expedited the code compliance and restoration phase so that Shane's could start making chocolate and other goodies again. “New meets Old” certainly encapsulates the theme.
Collaborating closely with Ryan & Eric and their registered architect, Richard Stange, we combined ALL of the owner’s expenses (retooling, fixtures, equipment, etc) with the construction costs into one budget.
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| Eric with antique candy molds |
As a result of our collaboration, Owner’s Rep and the Berleys gained new respect for each others' skills – us in their ablity to make and sell a quality candy product, and them in their realization of construction project dynamics.
“Did you find anything interesting?” is a question that many people ask when they see we’re working on a historic building?
The Berley’s found lots of items that had to do with the making of chocolate that they will re-use in their manufacturing processes or include in their future Candy Museum. Owner's Rep found patterned glass skylights at the rear of the property. We replaced the existing system with insulated patterned glass panels and reduced the need for day lighting in this area.
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| Craftsman fabricating bracket for Shane Candies sign. |
An added bonus for me contributes to a childhood memory
In the 50’s, for Easter, my family could get a leg of lamb at Young’s Meat Market and then walk just a few doors down to Shane’s to get the best coconut cream eggs that I can remember. I’m counting on the Berley brothers for those eggs this coming Easter!
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| Bob working on an antique mixer. |