Bergin Funeral Home property in downtown Waterbury sells for $1M
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A downtown Waterbury funeral home that has served the city for generations has new ownership.
In a deed recorded Dec. 11, the Bergin Funeral Home property along East Main St. sold for $1 million to an affiliate of Auburn, Maine-based Milestone Partners.
The seller was Carriage Services of Connecticut Inc., based in Houston.
Bergin's was one of four area funeral homes recently acquired by Milestone Properties, which claims a network of over 90 "partner firms" in the northeast.
Founded in 2021, Milestone Partners has invested in a growing portfolio of funeral homes in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
In a Dec. 11 social media post, Milestone announced new "partnerships" with the Bergin Funeral home; Lyons Funeral Home, in Thomaston; Woodtick Memorial, in Wolcott; and Redgate Hennessy Funeral Directors of Trumbull.
"Together, these additions to our team support the ongoing momentum of our growth and expand our ability to provide compassionate, meaningful care to families in even more communities in the Northeast," reads a portion of the post.
Milestone CEO Michael R. Martel, in an email response to questions, noted he and his partner, T.J. Smart, are licensed funeral directors with over 30 years of experience.
The company's goal is "to be a funeral director-owned, funeral director-run, organization focused on mid-sized, reputable, personality-driven funeral homes," Martel wrote. "By sticking to these core values, and remaining focused in the Northeast, we've been able to offer our partners enhanced employee benefits, scaling on numerous fronts."
Martel said he expects to continue to support the Bergin team in the long term, and actively invest in the operation's employees. Milestone will also provide funding to maintain and enhance the "beautiful and historic" Bergin facility, Martel wrote.
"The same wonderful caregivers will be serving the families of Waterbury and we anticipate providing them with more tools to do so, as well as local ownership/equity options for the incredible folks who lead the business," Martel wrote.
The sale included 290 East Main St., a 0.17-acre site hosting a 6,750-square-foot Victorian building that had served as a home and doctor’s office before its 1923 conversion for use as the Bergin family funeral home. The sale also includes nearly six-tenths of an acre of land in four small, abutting parcels on East Main and Cole streets.
Four generations of the Bergin family ran the funeral home for more than 135 years, according to the Bergin Funeral Home website. Later, it became an affiliate of Carriage Services.
