What could be more alluring than a building once the center of Goshen”™s musical history and then home to the mysterious and symbol-laden Masons?
Engineers Gerry Hluchan and his business partner John Trombino spent 17 years watching cars go by on Crystal Run Road in the town of Wallkill when they decided it was time to stop paying rent and embrace that allure via paying a mortgage. “When I sat down and looked at the numbers, it just made sense to start looking for a permanent place to buy and establish our offices,” said Hluchan.
Hluchan and Trombino, principals in Gerard Associates Consulting Engineers, chanced upon the old Masonic Hall on Goshen”™s Main Street, which was up for sale. “We didn”™t know all of its history at the time,” said Hluchan, “but we loved its central location and that it was in the heart of the village.”
After buying the Masonic Lodge for $780,000 in June, 2007, Hluchan admits neither he nor his partner was quite prepared for what was to come once they began their ambitious project. “We did have a vision,” said Hluchan. “We wanted to keep as much of the building”™s original integrity as possible. When it was the Goshen Music Hall back in the late 1800”™s, it was one huge hall with a stage with some rooms in the back for dressing and keeping costumes. When the Masons bought it in 1926, they made the one story building into two, and had their meetings here as well as their ceremonies.”
Hluchan and Trombino now call Gerard Associates”™ new offices their official “home away from home.” Hluchan says they spend 40 hours a week working the engineering practice and another 40 hours restoring the building.
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“It is literally working two full-time jobs,” said Hluchan of the project, “but when it is your own, you feel the time is well invested.”Â
The two engineers have salvaged and restored several old doors, mantels and door frames and have kept the Masons”™ and the music hall”™s original flooring intact. “It is beautiful wood, and we also kept the curved shape at the top of the building where we have our offices,” said Hluchan. “We re-used much of the wood when we built the office space for our employees. I didn”™t want movable walls. Nobody ever moves them, anyway, so they are built in and not only esthetically pleasing but serve a dual purpose ”“ there are bookshelves on the outside so they are both beautiful and functional.” Some of the original seats from the music hall will eventually be restored and become part of the engineering firm”™s waiting area.
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“We love the fact that we bought this with our own money and didn”™t ask anyone for a handout,” said Hluchan, who said the engineers have spent approximately $150,000 on construction and materials to date to bring the gem back to life and to maintain as much of the building”™s original lines as possible. “We also love the fact that it has real historic value, and we were able to save it for generations to come. Even though we have modernized it, we installed the original wrought iron radiators and they are part of the heating system. It”™s wonderful to blend the old with the new and come out with a great product that”™s both functional but also sensitive to the environment and makes the most use of new technology.”
Gerard Associates designed and installed the geo-thermal heating and cooling system for Glenmere Mansion, which opened in September 2009 in the village of Florida. “It was truly a pleasure to work with Alan Stenberg and Daniel DeSimone. They spent millions to buy the 1,300-acre property and to keep much of it ”˜forever green”™ and restore the mansion to its original historic beauty. They didn”™t spare any expense in recreating its architectural charm inside and out. The mansion has all the latest geo-thermal technology available on the market, extra insulation, a water system that captures extra water for the gardens. They kept the mansion”™s integrity but used 21st century technology to make it a true masterpiece of both architectural and engineering design. And they didn”™t ask for a dime from anyone. They did it with their own money and created a world-class boutique hotel and spa destination for the entire region.” (HVBiz June 12, 2009.)
Said Hluchan, “We are so proud of our building and we look forward to being a real destination for people coming to visit the village and the chamber of commerce on the first floor. The halls are lined with pictures of Goshen that go back to late 1800s. It”™s an accomplishment we”™re both proud of and we”™re looking forward to completing the rest of the renovation work, renting out additional space we have left and getting back to working just one job.”
Despite the recession, Hluchan said the company is staying busy enough to retain all six of their full-time employees. “We are dealing with the recession the way every other business is. Watching our costs, doing without what we don”™t need. In the end, we might have paid less for this building had we waited but we are not sorry we bought it when we did. It”™s ours and we are finally ”˜home”™ ”“ until our families call and ask us if we are ever coming home for dinner.”
