Hartford Business Journal

8 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | APRIL 1, 2024 DEAL WATCH DEAL WATCH | BUYERS & SELLERS Chris DeGasero, co-owner of The Dead Language Beer Project at 1429 Park St., in Hartford. HBJ PHOTO | MICHAEL PUFFER Long-running conversion of former factory in Hartford's Parkville neighborhood picks up steam Parkville native Enrique LeBron in February celebrated the grand opening of his 1,000-square-foot Retrospective Films studio. He runs a full-service video production company that does work, including documentary films, for nonprofit and other clients. LeBron said he wanted a work- space outside his home, where he could meet clients and expand his capacity. It was a "big step," and the first separate space for his small business. The area is also near to his heart. "I was raised in Parkville, so it was important to have it here," said LeBron, who still lives in Hartford. "We have a lot of artists in the community. I wanted to be part of that energy. I feel blessed to be here during this revitalization." LeBron's business is down the corridor from Lux Studios, a new photography and events space. He also recruited his friend, Frankie Echevarria, to fit out a 500-square- foot recording studio, which debuted in September. That's about twice the size of Eche- varria's former studio on Airport Road in Hartford. Professionally, Echevarria goes by the name of Dimelo Nitty. The building has other longer-term tenants, including United Sewing & Design, a former reSET incu- bator company that spun off into a 1,000-square-foot space in February. Owner Mary Ruth Shields says her business hires "disenfranchised" citizens returning from incarcera- tion to create small runs of textile products, from designer clothing to medical-support wear. By Michael Puffer mpuffer@hartfordbusiness.com W ith plantings spread throughout comfortable seating and decor that illuminates under black light, Dead Language Beer Project founders Chris and Kyle DeGasero aim to create a fun and laid-back environ- ment at their new Hartford brewery, located in a former factory complex at 1429 Park St. "It's ideal to have it in the Parkville neighborhood, which is kind of artsy," said Chris DeGasero, one-half of the husband-and-wife ownership team. "It has the Brooklyn, up-and-coming feel. We wanted it to be in a cool and hip area." The Dead Language Beer Project, which was launched with a $300,000 small business loan and about $200,000 in equity investment, is one of nearly a dozen new shops and studios to recently open in the five-story, 325,000-square-foot former factory building being transformed by Carlos Mouta, a longtime developer who has focused most of his efforts on Hartford's Parkville neighborhood. Today, the Park Street building hosts 96 apartments on its upper floors. Mouta thinks he can build out another 20 or so apartments in a 20,000-square-foot vacant office space. That leaves about 10,000 square feet of available retail space. Mouta said he is hoping to fill much of that by recruiting an art gallery and events space operator. He's also looking for a fitness center. "You come here in a year and it's going to be more vibrant and completely full," Mouta said of his building at 1429 Park St. New energy Even before the latest tenant-re- cruitment push, the property already hosted a handful of organizations, including reSET, a nonprofit social enterprise business incubator. It's also close to Mouta's other ventures, like the popular Parkville Market, at 1400 Park St., which hosts a collection of food-and-beverage vendors in a former lumberyard. Mouta is slated to transform a nearby parking lot into a 57-unit apartment building and 350-space parking garage. Mouta said he has a $5.5 million state grant lined up for the apartments, and $5.2 million in city assistance for the garage. The Dead Language Beer Project plans to have a light selection of food, and is hoping to send its customers to the nearby Petrolhead Café, a lounge, coffeehouse and eatery that opened in March inside 1429 Park St. Petrolhead owner Kyle Mayer describes his establishment as a boutique sports bar for motorsports enthusiasts. It opened in space formerly occupied by a Peruvian restaurant, which closed during the pandemic. Saasha Plefka in November opened her Beauty Bridge Foundation Salon in a 2,500-square-foot space on the second floor of 1429 Park St. Scannell Properties sells South Windsor warehouse, leased to Amazon, for $20.74M A 182,628-square-foot Amazon-occu- pied distribution warehouse in South Windsor has sold for $20.74 million. Indiana-based Scannell Properties sold the warehouse, at 240 Ellington Road, to Massachusetts-based real estate investor NorthBridge Partners. The masonry-sided warehouse was completed in 2021, and features 39-foot ceiling heights. Amazon moved in last year and has a long-term lease to occupy the facility. 240 Ellington Road, South Windsor. HBJ FILE PHOTO FARMINGTON More than a year after it acquired the building, Hartford HealthCare has begun to move into its new administrative offices in Farmington. The healthcare provider in March 2023 paid $14.25 million for the roughly 133,500-square-foot office building at 9 Farm Springs Road. Thomas Vaccarelli, HHC's vice president for facilities, construction and real estate, said the three-story building will now house 12 departments and approximately 425 employees, but no medical offices. The building, which was erected in 1980, required some renovation, so the departments — including finance, guest services and human resources — were brought in at different times as the work was completed, beginning in September, he said. Vaccarelli said employees have been relocated from four sites to Farmington, reducing the organization's office space by about 250,000 square feet, and saving "millions of dollars" in lease and building costs. NEW HAVEN The new owner of a historic New Haven office building, which was once a single-family home, is looking to convert the property back into residential apartments. The 5,400-square-foot property, at 261 Bradley St., was built in 1890 as a single-family house. It had been converted to professional office space since at least the 1970s, and has long been home to law offices. Avi Lipsker, of New Haven, bought the building for $1.1 million last June and has applied to the City Plan Commission to convert the six law offices into eight apartments. Each unit will have two bedrooms, two bath- rooms and a combined kitchen/living area. Housing in New Haven is in high demand, espe- cially for students, whereas the need for office space is on the decline, experts say. The conversion is estimated to cost $800,000 to $1 million, or roughly $100,000 per unit. WEST HARTFORD Middletown-based real estate development and investment duo Michael Stone and Michael Fleischmann recently paid $6.9 million for a 17,646-square-foot West Hartford Center commercial building primarily occupied by an M&T Bank branch. West Hartford-based Lavery Brothers 1013 LLC sold the 1989-vintage building on roughly 1-acre at 1013 Farmington Ave., to a limited liability company tied to Stone and Fleischmann. The two were also involved in an $8 million purchase in 2019 of a neighboring 37,635-square- foot, multi-tenant retail building on nearly 1.9 acres at 1003 Farmington Ave.

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