Meet the Lagasses

By Rob Marino
Friday, June 6, 2003

Friday, June 6, 2003

In Newburyport for over 20 years, Chuck and Ann Lagasse have been responsible for rehabbing many of the city's downtown historic buildings and then some. They started with smaller projects, like transforming a desolate block with vacant grocery stores into what is today the busy CVS plaza on Pond Street.

The Black Cow Restaurant along the Merrimack River, the Fitness Factory on Merrimac Street and Stride Rite Shoes on Pleasant Street are just a few of the buildings that have been renovated and returned to productivity by the local property investors.

The Lagasses also restored the old Strand Theater on Green Street, bringing back to life much of its historical character that had been overlooked when the theater first was converted for office space.

"The pigeons were the tenants," Chuck Lagasse recalls about the old Green Street office building and movie theater when it was left vacant. "Most of these buildings, when I think about it, were empty when we bought them."

In addition to rehabbing the first floor of the historic Gunnison Wharf Building in Market Square, the Lagasses spent millions of dollars completely restoring the historic Atkinson Building on Water Street.

A fire about 100 years ago dramatically altered and reduced in size one side of the building; the blaze also compromised the structure's historical integrity. The Lagasses researched the history of the building before restoring it to its appearance before the fire.

Millions of dollars have also been invested by the Lagasses in rehabbing many of the buildings on State Street, including the Fowle's block. "The second and third floors were completely vacant," Ann Lagasse recalls. "They weren't livable and they were all run down."

Today, the Fowle's block includes four apartments and 10 offices on the upper floors as well as renovated retail space on the first floors. In fact, the Lagasses are just finishing up rehabbing their last retail store on the block, which will soon open up right next to Fowle's as "Be Pink," a cosmetics boutique.

In addition to owning the Fowle's block, the Lagasses also own several blocks on the other side of State Street, stretching from Fleet Bank to Tina's European Fashions and Gifts and Denise's Garden Accents. The block at the corner of Middle Street featuring State Street Candle & Mug and Dyno Records is also owned by the couple.

Despite their long list of restoration projects and owning around 30 local buildings, the Lagasses remain humble, not ready to pat themselves on the back.

"I think we've helped, but historically, there's been a lot of people very committed to making Newburyport a great place," Chuck Lagasse says.