Page 29: CHAPTER VII • ROMANCE AND LOVE EVERLASTING
In July of 1935, I first met Louise Massari through her brother John. The introduction was made while visiting Uncle Anthony at Dottoni Farm in Croton Falls, New York.
Having been invited to dinner at the Massari home at 276 Sherman Avenue, John and I had the pleasure of being joined by Louise at a movie theater on 207th Street.
Subsequently, after a few more visits, to my good fortune Louise agreed to go out with me. I kept dating her steadily and enjoying many delicious meals in her home.
We were mutually attracted to each other and I realized that I had fallen in love.
Having courted her for several months, while on a dinner date at the then-famous Ben Riley’s Arrowhead Inn on Riverdale Avenue and West 246th Street, I proposed to her. She gladly accepted, and we became engaged.
Louise and I married Sunday, February 23, 1936. The formal wedding ceremony was performed at 6:30 p.m. at the Church of the. Good Shepherd at 207th Street and Broadway, New York City.
Top row from left: Brother Charles, Usher. Helen Ciluzzi, Bridesmaid. Brother Joseph, Best Man. Virginia Massari, Maid of Honor. Michael, Groom. Louise, Bride. J. Pellettieri, gave Bride away. Marjore, Bridesmaid. Joe Faiella Jr., Usher. Louise Cerabone, Bridesmaid. John Massari, Usher.
(image)
Bottom Row: Charlotte and Lisa, Flower Girls.
John Lauria, Ring Bearer.
Page 30: WEDDING RECEPTION
Immediately following the ceremony, a reception was held at Ben Riley’s Arrowhead Inn, the same place that I had proposed to Louise.
At this time we were in the throes of a deep financial depression era. Having carefully saved and accumulated a small next egg I had gathered with a profit of $1,500 on 100 shares of stock, and some generous cash wedding gifts, we had enough for a good beginning of our marriage venture.
We invited over 100 guests. My three brothers, John and Joseph (unmarried) and Charles and Annette; Louise’s grandmother and mother, sisters and brothers; all our uncles and aunts and their spouses; cousins and spouses or escorts; and a few personal friends.
Uncle Charles supplied us with a chauffeured Rolls Royce to transport us to the church and the reception, paid for the band, and gave us free use of a bridal suite including food service, at the luxurious Margarite Hotel on 47th Street and Park Avenue. We used this accommodation for three nights, before sailing on our honeymoon.
OUR HONEYMOON
We sailed on the “Queen of Bermuda” on February 26th. Many family members came to see us off, including Uncle Charles who gave Louise a corsage of orchids for each sailing day to Bermuda. In 1936 Bermuda was still unspoiled. There was no airport, and only one small car, for the Governor’s use. The main systems of transportation were. miniature railway, bicycles, and horse and carriage.
We stayed on St. George Island at the St. George Hotel. Louise and I immensely enjoyed the ocean, the various sights and shops, the polite natives, the pubs with their specialties, the delicious meals, and the hotel entertainment. Simply put, we had a terrific time. We remained there six days and returned on the “Monarch of Bermuda.” We sincerely had a delightful and light-hearted trip aboard both liners. When we arrived at our brand new apartment, at 680 West 204th Street, we were quite broke but very much in love and very happy.
Our son Joseph was born on January 18, 1937, while we were living in this apartment.
OUR MARRIED LIFE
Since my return in 1931 from a brief visit to my homeland I had made a resolution to someday venture into business on my own.
In 1937, Uncle Charles moved the office from New York to Greenwich, Connecticut, and we rented a home in nearby Cos Cob, where our daughter Minnie Rose was born that year. During this period I was working in the office weekdays and supervising the operation of two golf courses and clubhouses in Armonk, New York, on weekends and holidays.
In 1938, when our new home in Englewood, New Jersey, was completed, we moved in. Shortly thereafter I resigned my position with the doctor and began my own business venture. It proved an uphill climb.
That year, together with carpenter Joseph Halpern who controlled a sizable parcel of land in Bergenfield, I formed a company, calling it Paterno-Halpern Construction Co., Inc.
We filed for and obtained F.H.A. commitments, and proceeded with the installation of utilities, curbs and roadways. We erected and sold over 75 reasonable priced single family homes. During that same period we also obtained contracts to erect many other homes built on individual owners’ properties according to their plans and specifications. This was still a depression era, so the profits were commensurate to the times. When Halpern was drafted into the Army we dissolved the partnership.
Page 31: I formed a new company, called L.M.P. Construction Co., Inc. (our initials) and opened an office in Teaneck, New Jersey. I continued building many small and large single family homes on contract. My activities were concentrated mainly in Bergen County.
In that time period my Uncle Anthony was constructing a large one-family home development in Belleville, New Jersey. Not satisfied with his present supervisor, promising the moon, he persuaded me to take over. At the successful completion he failed to “lay the golden egg.”
Immediately after that another venture went sour, with a Mr. Smidt, a land promoter in Riviera Beach near Point Pleasant. He prompted me to take charge of erecting several prefab model bungalows on the site to expedite sale of the lots, saying that later I would be made a partner in charge of construction. After the project was well established, he reneged.
I returned to my old building routine, erecting a private home in Leonia, where I met Mr. Mayer, a clothier manufacturer from New York City. He owned land zoned for two-family homes in Leonia.
Eventually I was awarded the contract to build the project, and completed the 12 planned structures. Shortly thereafter Mr. Liebhober, the President of Garden State Roofing Supply and one of my frequent suppliers, approached me to develop a large difficult parcel of land he owned in Hasbrook Heights. We formed a new corporation, Mr. Liebhober and Mr. Mayer furnished all the working capital with the exception of $5,000 which was my investment for one third of the deal.
As president I assumed complete charge of the operation, with a further stipulation that I would be the only officer member to draw a fixed weekly salary during the planning and construction. The Title V F.H.A. 80-family garden-type apartment unit, called “Park Terrace Gardens*,” was completed and rented in just over a year.
My brother Joe was unemployed when the construction began, and I engaged him to assist in the supervision. In 1949 I sold my share and resigned. This venture proved to be one of the quickest and most lucrative for me.
One Sunday in 1952 after dinner in my home, my brother-in-law John Massari, my brother Joe, and I began talking about business. We agreed to form a partnership. John was to advance a $10,000 loan and to provide any future capital required. The understanding was that he would have no active participation except consulting in decisions of locations of future land purchases and types of construction. He would have a one-third share of the business. We formed a new company called Paterno Bros., Inc. through which we purchased our first plot of land, for 15 homes, on Tryon Avenue in Teaneck. We built and readily sold the houses.
We then began purchasing the choicest vacant lots in the best areas, for luxury homes. As each was completed and sold we repeated the same procedure. This continued successfully for the ensuing years.
Our business was profitable. Within the first two years John’s original and only personal loan was repaid. In 1954 we acquired an industrial site in Little Ferry where we erected a 10,000 square foot building which we leased to a first class tenant for ten years.
In 1955 we purchased another industrial site, in Hackensack, when a disagreement began. We resold the plot for a quick profit. That same year on a large parcel in Saddle River we erected four models and one more home. Personal friction between my brother and myself, caused primarily by my brother-in-law’s interferences as to Joe’s duties and time devoted to business, and John’s unreasonable dominating tactics, culminated in
Page 32: complete disagreement. This resulted in Joe’s resignation. We gave him the agreed-upon settlement share. Joe then moved to St. Louis, where he began working with Joseph Campagna.
Conditions worsened between John and me. His attitude made it uneasy. From that point on, I planned it so that all work in progress was to be completed by July 1, 1957. After the sale of the completed homes in Saddle River, I stopped that project and placed the remaining land on the market. It was quickly sold. Louise and I agreed to sell our home. We sold it and arranged a July 31 closing date. We also prearranged to lease a house in Hollywood, Florida, with the rent payment due to begin August 1, 1957.
Our daughter was married July 27, 1957. After the wedding and the final closing of the sale of the house, on August 1st we left Englewood.
We sold the leased property in Little Ferry at the expiration of the lease in 1965. At the closing John refused to sign the transfer documents unless I first agreed to pay him an extra $10,000 besides his regular share.
That year we dissolved the Paterno Bros. company. Despite some good and many bad experiences, we continued to have a friendly social relationship with John and his family until he died in 1972.
In the course of my union with Louise, we certainly have had our share of adversities. In spite of this, with Louise’s infinite, wise influence and love, together with patience and stamina, we have always managed to overcome.
With the grace of God, our married life has been a very happy, active and fruitful one. We were blessed with three beautiful children, and enjoyed the many happy moments they brought us as infants and teenagers. Their presence reflected the tranquility and happiness in our home and family.
Next: OUR CHILDREN
Back to INDEX
