Top left: To preserve the integrity of the building, the construction team repurposed its materials, includ- ing this old freight door to the Hall’s master bedroom. Top right: A 1920s scaffolding ladder was transformed into a pub table, its wheels original to the building. Bottom left: The neighborhood’s Italian history and pride remain in the red, white and green-painted fire hydrants and North End restaurant. Bottom center: One of the building’s original floor grates is now a chandelier adorned with wine bottles. Bottom right: The dance hall’s pristine maple wood floors once hid beneath years of debris. Bottom right: The building once served the community as J. Vaccaro Bottling Works Co., the name still carved above the windows.
decision: how can we make this work with what we have available, while making sure it’s structurally sound,” Pisser said. They used a floor grate for a chandelier adorned with wine bottles, an old steel beam for the downstairs bar’s footrest and the speakeasy’s porcelain sinks for the master bathroom. They also built closet shelves from a local high school’s bleacher seats — after scrap- ing off the chewed gum — and a staircase to the new rooftop patio from wood from the original Boulevard Brewery warehouse. “The space is really a combination of three or four different buildings structured around the same time period.” Almost every piece of the Hall’s home tells a story, dating as far back as 1919, when Joe Vaccaro began construction for J. Vaccaro Bottling Works Co. He quickly outgrew the space, and in 1921, construction began on the Joe Vaccaro Soda Water Manufacturing Company Building at 922 East 5th Street, one block east (now the Soda Lofts). Back then, everyone knew each other and took care of each other. Mary Argento,
But, Shon and Carol are writing a new chapter for the building. Every Third Friday, April–October, their home becomes 815 Gal- lery, a space for local artists to display their talents. “I used to show my work in malls, and it tore away at my soul,” Shon said. “We wanted to give local artists a better opportunity.” ^ Following the inclusive spirit of the neighbor- hood, all artists and styles are welcomed. If you would like to be featured at 815 Gallery, contact Jody Flaherty at jody.flaherty@gmail.com.
licensed funeral director and owner of Seb- beto Funeral Home at 901 East 5th Street, recalled when sugar was in short supply between the world wars, the neighborhood would donate theirs to Vaccaro to help his business stay open. Because Vaccaro’s second location operated longer and received the National Register of Historic Places designation, the history of his original building is all but forgotten. There are few records and even fewer living residents in Columbus Park to pass on its memory.
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