PROVIDENCE – The former office of JKL Engineering on Federal Hill, a contracting firm that specialized in heating, ventilation and air conditioning, was recently acquired by the nonprofit Hope & Main for $2.1 million as the organization continues its mission of providing shared-use kitchens and technical assistance for food-related companies in the Providence area.
Hope & Main Providence bought the 945 Westminster St. warehouse and office building from J.K.L. Real Estate Holding Co. LLC in a deal signed on Dec. 21, according to a copy of the warranty deed, a public record of the property sale.
The building, constructed in 1950, spans more than 13,000 square feet and stands on a 0.56-acre lot, according to the city’s online property tax evaluation database.
Hope & Main plans to build six new commercial kitchens in Providence in this new facility, which is going to be called Hope & Main West End Kitchens, said Lisa Raiola, the nonprofit’s founder and president. The opening date would be in late 2023 or early 2024, Raiola said.
Financing for the Hope & Main West End Kitchens is coming from the Providence Business Loan Fund, a city loan fund supported by federal funding, and the Massachusetts Housing Investment Corp., the Boston-based organization that invests in affordable housing and related projects that support underserved communities.
The nonprofit continues to operate from its headquarters inside a former school building at 691 Main St. in Warren, where the organization said it has helped launch around 450 Rhode Island food businesses in the past eight years.
The acquisition of 945 Westminster St. comes as the Warren-based Hope & Main, which was established in 2014 as Rhode Island’s first culinary incubator, is trying to expand its reach from the East Bay area to the state’s capital city. Previously, the nonprofit announced plans to open its new Downtown Makers Marketplace in early 2023 on the ground level of the Paolino Properties LP 100 Westminster St. office building (a space last occupied by Brewed Awakenings and Au Bon Pain at one point before that), serving made-to-order breakfast and lunch items crafted by entrepreneurs involved with the culinary incubator program.
The JKL Engineering business was sold last year, Raiola said, and the company’s founder and owner, Antonio “Tony” Freitas, died at age 73 on Dec. 20, 2022. The HVAC contracting company, named after his three daughters, Judith, Kimberly and Lori, was established in 1973 after Freitas previously operated under the name Tony’s Refrigeration.
Freitas was widely known for his role in the racketeering conviction against former Providence Mayor Vincent A. “Buddy” Cianci Jr., acting as a cooperating witness for the FBI with the nickname Mr. Freon during Operation Plunder Dome, wearing a wire to gain evidence about a tax bribery scheme at City Hall.
The former JKL Engineering building was most recently valued by Providence assessors in fiscal year 2022 as being worth $1.3 million, according to the property tax evaluation database.
The property includes a 9,440-square-foot warehouse area, 8,000 square feet of paved asphalt and a wrought-iron fence around the parking area on one end of the building.
The property also includes a 3,288-square-foot apartment on the second level, surrounded by its own fencing, with three bedrooms and a bathroom inside the building, according to the database.
Marc Larocque is a PBN contributing writer.
