PITTSTON — Pat Hadley, 50, was born and raised in Pittston. He remembers going to the doctor’s office in the Newrose Building when he was a child.

The developer recently finished construction on six high-end apartments on the top three floors of the building on Main Street. Beginning March 1, tenants will begin moving into their apartments, which range from $1,000 to $1,500 per month.

For the past 18 months, Hadley has been resurrecting the building from the ground up.

“It was a full on demolition,” said Hadley. “We basically opened the whole building up, everything was removed, we put in new plumbing, electrical, heating, windows and doors. It was in poor condition, but it wasn’t horrific. It needed updating.”

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According to Main Street Manager Rose Randazzo, the Newrose Building had various tenants throughout the years. Eventually the building became vacant shortly after the purchase by Hadley and Santino Ferretti in 2014.

“Basically the building was in very poor condition,” said Randazzo. “…Eventually all the tenants left. There was a roof problem — it collapsed because it was leaking. We’re so fortunate that a developer was able to do this, be cause it was a huge, huge undertaking.”

Hadley, owner of Hadley Construction and part-owner of Main Street Realty, LLC, already has tenants for the first two floors. JK Holly, a gift shop, moved into the first floor a few months back, while Gerri’s Bridal will set up shop on the first and second floors in the coming weeks. Main Street Realty owns the building.

“The work that goes into these places speaks for itself,” Hadley said. “We have a love for old buildings. We try to leave as much on the outside and we spend a lot on the inside.”

On the third floor, Hadley said, a company of 25-30 employees is scheduled to move in on April 1. Going up from there, the apartments aren’t something one would normally see in Greater Pittston, Hadley said.

The apartments range from one- to two-bedroom apartments, most of them overlooking downtown. There is an abundance of crown molding and 10-foot ceilings, along with coffin ceilings. The entrance doors to each apartment are 8-feet high.

All of the apartments are rented, Hadley said, and they didn’t stay on the market for very long. He said a veterinarian, stoke brokers and other area professionals are set to move into the building. There is still some work to be done outside of the apartments, but most of the work is complete.

“I should have everything done by the end of April,” Hadley said. “Come spring we will do all the sidewalks and finish the parking lot.”

The third floor has the most work left, but Hadley said it’s mostly walls and flooring over the next several weeks.

The Newrose’s original personality is something Hadley wanted to save. At the side entrance of the building on Tomato Festival Drive, where residents and third-floor employees will enter the building, Hadley left the original brick work in the lobby area. The staircase, which runs through the center front of the building is also original. There is a large skylight that remains from when the building was originally built.

“Some people do cars and stuff, this is what I like to do,” Hadley said. “I do it because I love the town. I love Pittston. You can look back and see what you built and you’re happy.”

Each apartment was about $100,000 to build, Hadley said. There’s around 1,500 square feet in each apartment — each floor is about 5,000 square feet. The units each have a master bath, and washer and dryer units, as well as full kitchens in an open concept floor plan. Visitors to the first, second and third floors will have access to the elevator and stairs. However, without a pass code, only residents of the apartments can go to the fourth and fifth floors.

Construction started on the Newrose Building in 2014. So far, Hadley’s company has sunk $1.4 million into the building. But that hasn’t been the only construction done on the building. This past September, the Inspiration Mural was created on the south side of the Newrose by muralist Michael Pilato. Apartments on the south side of the building feature widows within the mural.

“We gave the city permission to do the mural,” said Hadley. “We helped with the mural, too. The lifts that (Pilato) used, we own them, we let him use them.”

According to a story in the Sunday Dispatch and Times Leader in 2014, research done by local historian Ron Faraday indicates the Newrose was purchased in 1921 by Jacob Newman and Joseph Rosen. Newman’s and Rosen’s last names were combined to name the Newrose Building. Newman was a politically active merchant from Dupont. Rosen was a resident and merchant from Midvale in Plains Township.

The building, called the Penn-Park Building in recent years, was sold by Max and Tillie Rosenn to Ettore and Marion Lippi for $50,000 on July 8, 1965. It was sold by Ettore and Marion Lippi to Chapel Properties, Inc. for $295,000 on July 25, 2005.

Recently, Hadley renovated the Egan Oil Building in the Junction. He said he currently has a tenant in that building. Main Street Realty has six properties and approximately 15 apartments throughout the area.

“I’ve been here my whole life,” said Hadley. “Whatever helps (this area) out is great.”

The kitchen in a fourth-floor, two-bedroom apartment in the Newrose Buidling.
http://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_Newrose2.jpg.optimal.jpgThe kitchen in a fourth-floor, two-bedroom apartment in the Newrose Buidling. Nick Wagner | Sunday Dispatch

The living area in the fourth-floor apartment in the Newrose Buidling.
http://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_Newrose3.jpg.optimal.jpgThe living area in the fourth-floor apartment in the Newrose Buidling. Nick Wagner | Sunday Dispatch

All showers in the Newrose Building are complete with tile.
http://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_Newrose8.jpg.optimal.jpgAll showers in the Newrose Building are complete with tile. Nick Wagner | Sunday Dispatch

The third floor of the Newrose Building, expected to be finished by April, will house a company of 25 to 30 employees.
http://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_Newrose1.jpg.optimal.jpgThe third floor of the Newrose Building, expected to be finished by April, will house a company of 25 to 30 employees. Nick Wagner | Sunday Dispatch

The kitchen in a fourth-floor, one-bedroom apartment in the Newrose Buidling.
http://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_Newrose4.jpg.optimal.jpgThe kitchen in a fourth-floor, one-bedroom apartment in the Newrose Buidling. Nick Wagner | Sunday Dispatch

With a view from the fourth floor apartment in the Newrose Building, you can see down North Main Street as far as Coxton and Campbell’s Ledge.
http://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_Newrose6.jpg.optimal.jpgWith a view from the fourth floor apartment in the Newrose Building, you can see down North Main Street as far as Coxton and Campbell’s Ledge. Nick Wagner | Sunday Dispatch

The living area in a fourth floor, two-bedroom apartment in the Newrose Building.
http://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_Newrose9.jpg.optimal.jpgThe living area in a fourth floor, two-bedroom apartment in the Newrose Building. Nick Wagner | Sunday Dispatch

The original skylight of the Newrose Building provides light to the original staircase of the building.
http://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_Newrose5.jpg.optimal.jpgThe original skylight of the Newrose Building provides light to the original staircase of the building. Nick Wagner | Sunday Dispatch
High-end apartments ready to go at Newrose Building

By Nick Wagner

nwagner@timesleader.com

Sarah Hite Hando contributed to this report. Reach Nick Wagner at 570-991-6406 or on Twitter @Dispatch_Nick.