The spray painted graffiti-style 17-by-27-foot mural, designed and painted by Marisa Confair, was recently completed between 135 Main St. and 157 Main St., Pittston, in conjunction with building renovations being undertaken by Verdine Enterprises.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
The former CeeKay Auto building, now owned by Verdine Enterprises, will house a combination of retail commercial space and luxury loft-style apartments on Main Street, Pittston, near the Spc. Dale Kridlo Memorial Bridge.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
This is one of the loft-style housing units for lease through Verdine Enterprises at the 100 block of Main Street, Pittston, off the Spc. Dale Kridlo Memorial Bridge.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
Shown is the shell of the former CeeKay Auto at 157 Main St., Pittston. The 2,000 sq. ft. space will be available to rent by the end of June.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
Artist Marissa Confair adds final touches to her new mural in downtown Pittston.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
PITTSTON — Scott Verdine, in the middle of a successful business career, decided to flip houses in 2006.
Seventeen years later, he and his company, Verdine Enterprises, have become a main player in redeveloping Main Street, Pittston.
Verdine took ownership of four buildings — 127 Main St., 129 Main St., 135 Main St. — located near of the Spc. Dale Kridlo Memorial Bridge, and the former CeeKay Auto parts retailer (157 Main St.), and has been very busy renovating and repurposing those buildings for new commercial space and housing.
“The Verdine project is a critical project,” Mayor Michael Lombardo said.
“I’m calling it the Project Fulcrum. That project is four buildings and is the jumpstart at the north project of Pittston’s streetscaping project,” Lombardo added. “It’s an awesome project and I can’t say enough about the Verdine’s and their commitment to the city. This is a nice tackling of a big section of a block of four buildings.”
The large project of renovating four buildings is a immense task that would have been completed by now, but the pandemic in 2020 was a major setback. Over the last few months, however, it has been full steam ahead for Verdine and he’s hoping to finalize construction by late June for occupancy.
“I took ownership in Feb. 2020, then everything came crashing down in March and we’ve been patient about starting the project,” Verdine said. “While we were down, we were doing our due diligence and getting the architecture drawings done, the engineering done, just waiting to get started.”
The 157 Main St. building alone will include a 2,000 sq. ft. commercial space, an additional 1,500 sq. ft. commercial space, and six residential units.
“We are putting in high end, loft-style luxury units, at the 157 Main building,” Verdine added. “One thirty-five Main will be turned into the future home of the Plant Parlor with additional rental space for birthdays, bridal showers, baby showers and more and we will have two residential units upstairs.”
ABC Kiddie Campus utilizes 127 Main St. as a classroom facility.
All totaled, the four buildings are approximately 17,000 sq. ft.
According to Verdine, a few of the housing units are pre-leased and tenants will take occupancy upon completion of the construction.
One of the projects including in the renovation plan is the installation of a large 17-ft. by 47-ft. mural between 135 Main St. and 157 Main St. where artist Marissa Confair added her spray painted graffiti-style artwork.
“Marlene (Verdine) wanted heavy plants on there, but graffiti-style, some fun colors and she wanted it to be very loose, nothing uniform,” Confair said. “There is a huge Monstera plant, a big leafy plant, and some ferns in the middle will be Marlene’s logo, and just wanted it to be cool, fun and nothing super serious.”
Confair did the job in just two days, having a work commitment in New York City.
Verdine will top coat the material for protection against UV lighting and vandalism.
For information on leasing commercial or housing from Verdine Enterprises at 570-589-5648.
