A 137-year-old, 27,548-square-foot Manchester building that long ago hosted “Apel’s Opera House” recently sold for $770,000 to a New York investor approved to convert it into 26 apartments.
The five-story, brick-sided building at 35 Oakland St., built by German immigrant Bernard C. Apel, first housed, on different floors, a theater, undertaking parlor and retail showroom for carpets, wallpaper, curtains and other household goods, according to Millbuildingsct.com.
After serving as a warehouse and salesroom for years, the building was sold to the Central Connecticut Cooperative Farmers Association in 1977. The cooperative sold livestock feed and operated a farm stand and retail store at the corner of Apel Place and Oakland Street until its closure in 1977.
Most recently, the building housed a handful of tenants, with the lion’s share of space occupied by a supplier of wood pellets for heating and grilling.
A limited liability company controlled by John Mariolis, of Long Island, paid $770,000 for the building in a deed recorded by the town on Dec. 11.
The seller was U.S. Bank National Association, acting as trustee for a California lender that foreclosed on the property earlier this year, alleging the immediate prior owner — Apel Manchester I LLC — defaulted in mid-2024 on a $612,500 loan issued in early 2022.
Michael Licamele, principal of Apel Manchester I LLC, said he worked with the new buyer to help close the sale, and is happy to see the conversion project moving forward.
Mariolis and his family have acquired multiple buildings in downtown Waterbury, and have converted several into apartments, sometimes with ground-floor retail
Mariolis said he plans to tap state and federal historic tax credits to help finance a $2.5 million to $3 million renovation targeted for launch in February. He expects to complete the renovation within about 10 months, producing a mix of one-bedroom and two-bedroom “higher-end” apartments of 600 to 800 square feet.
The building will include a fitness center, laundry room and coworking space. The units will have open layouts with exposed beams and brick as part of the historic charm.
Gary Anderson, Manchester’s director of planning and economic development, said the town is pleased to see this historic building preserved, and encouraged by the planned use.
“Manchester, like a lot of places, has older buildings with cultural and historic significance,” Anderson noted. “Often, those are the most expensive to rehab. So, what we are trying to do here is accommodate what the market is telling us.”
