The T. M. Brennan headquarters, in Hamburg, NJ, is a restored 1841 building that has been on the National Historical Register since 1979. It was once owned by one of the wealthiest men in the county, but by the time we bought it in 1999 it had been abandoned since the early 1980’s and in great disrepair. Our vision was to restore the authentic historical details while also converting it to a modern office from which to run our growing business. We started our renovation in 2001 and in January 2003 we moved in.

The building is a spacious colonial; the wide center hall goes straight through from front to back, which must have been a great way to catch a breeze in the days without central air. The wide stairs go straight up to the second floor. All the windows are large so there is a lot of natural light. There were originally four rooms up and four rooms down, but we’ve made some modifications to this to fit our needs as an office. While modernizing, we were careful to stay true to the historical details. For example, we’ve added restrooms and converted the basement into light and airy offices for our construction management staff. Our Mechanical Contracting and Plumbing project staff is situated on the second floor. Business and executive management are on the main floor.

The trim, colors and other details are reminiscent of what the building may have looked when it was new. Visitors comment on the lavish woodwork throughout -- deep baseboards, elegant wainscoting, wide crown molding and chair rails, and wide trim around doors and windows. We chose all the lighting and door hardware to give honor to the period of the building. The dark stained hardwood floor looks authentic to the period, and has stood up to lots of commercial traffic.

We’ve already added storage facilities that compliment the period of the main building, and have plans for more site improvements. As we grow, we’re running out of space and so we’re working with the town to add back the 1000 square foot single floor addition that we tore down because it was beyond repair.

Come visit us. We love giving tours. You can see the quality of our work for yourself.