Benjamin Drenen, front row center left, cuts a ceremonial ribbon during the grand opening of Drenen Financial Services, Inc., located at 89 South Maple Street in Westfield, with his cousin Madison, front row second from right, during a brief ceremony Friday. Joining in the celebration are, contractors, family members, friends and state officials along with, front row left, Peter Miller, Westfield city advancement director. Walter E. Drenen, front row center left, president of Drenen Financial Services, Inc., Westfield Mayor Daniel Knapik, front row center right, and Kate Phelon, front row right, executive director of the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce. The business is located in the former Grange building. (Photo by chief photographer Frederick Gore)
WESTFIELD – After eight years of laying derelict on Maple Street, the former Grange building has received a stunning makeover after being purchased by 89 South Maple Street LLC. The building will now serve as the new home of Drenen Financial Services Inc., formerly of College Highway, Southwick, and Elm Street, Westfield.
After being rescued from abandonment, what was once a two-room schoolhouse has been made over into a spacious but comfortable building that still manages to retain its nostalgic charm. During a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, city officials stopped by to usher the building into its latest incarnation.
“The cellar was moldy, it had no heat, and many of the two-by-fours were all squishy. It was in rough shape,” said Walter Drenen, president of the agency.
With all of the ribbon cutting hoopla that occurred on Maple Street Friday, it would be easy to overlook the historical significance of the building, something Dr. Robert Brown of the Westfield Athenaeum is quite familiar with.
“The building was built in 1888, and it educated and housed the children and families of the workers at Westfield’s paper mill until the early 1920’s,” Dr. Brown said. According to Brown, a former history professor at Westfield State University, the building was sold to the Grange in the late 1920s and subsequently became the Grange Hall, a name many city officials remember with fond memories.
However, despite its sale in the early 20th century, Brown claims that there was a gentleman’s agreement between the Grange and the city of Westfield that the building be given back to the city whenever the Grange deemed it expendable. No record was found proving the agreement in the 1990s and the building began its slow spiral into neglect and abandonment.
State Representative Don Humason was on hand for the ceremony, and though impressed with the building’s recent metamorphosis, he hasn’t forgotten its neglect.
“When I worked for Senator (Michael) Knapik from ’91 to ’98, the Grange was still being used for suppers and whatnot,” Humason said. “It was a well-loved building, which made its deterioration all the sadder.”
Westfield Mayor Daniel M. Knapik echoed Humason’s sentiments.
“We are extremely pleased to have (the building) back. It’s a truly historic building for the city of Westfield,” Knapik said, “We were always concerned that it wouldn’t be reused, but we are glad Drenen has moved in.”
Within the Drenen organization, folks are very excited about the new building, as well.
“We are much more visible now than before,” said Freda Brown, who has been with the company for eight years. “The parking is better than where we were on Elm Street. It’s just a better building, and I think it will help business considerably.”
Also on hand was Drenen’s son, Brian, a carpenter who helped in the renovations of the building.
“Consolidating the two offices into one is a good idea,” the younger Drenen said. When asked of the timeline for the renovation, Drenen said the entire project took approximately “three and a half months or so.”
“The building is structurally sound,” the younger Drenen said. “It was a fun project.”
While the renovations were finished in a timely fashion, the actual physical moving of the business into its new South Maple Street digs had the potential to be nothing short of nightmarish. However, it turned out to be relatively painless, according to the boss.
“Everyone knows about Murphy’s law,” Walter Drenen said following the ribbon cutting, “Well, Murphy must’ve been on vacation. We moved in on the first of February, had the IT guys in here all day, the Comcast guys too, setting the phones up. We were doing taxes the next day.”
Drenen cited the biggest issue they encountered during the move wasn’t related to it occurring at the start of tax season, but rather, the amount of stuff the agency had to physically move, which took about six hours total.
“Whenever you spend many years somewhere, you accumulate a lot of stuff” said the elder Drenen.
Drenen Financial Services will be hosting an open house from noon to three o’ clock on St. Patrick’s Day to help raise the profile of their new location.
