Before that, the chamber leased several spaces inside the former Manchester Inn.
Pearce said he walked through “a great deal of available buildings and have seen some great locations,” however, remodeling costs prohibited the chamber from continuing the conversation.
In February, he found “an ideal location” at 1505 S. Breiel Blvd., in Patrick Square. The chamber moved from Central Avenue to its new location on Wednesday.
The two-story Breiel Boulevard space is 3,000-square-feet. The first floor features a small conference room, three offices and receptionist area. The downstairs level includes a large conference room, one office, kitchen area and storage area.
The building formerly was used by Sawyer Realty, HER Realty and Howard Hanna Realty.
When discussing where to relocate, Pearce said he researched where the most chamber members were located. He said with the city’s growth in the East End, Breiel Boulevard is the center of the city.
That location will make it easier for Middletown members and those driving from Monroe and Trenton, he said. He said there’s also plenty of parking and it’s an “easy in and out” location.
The chamber owned the Central Avenue building for 21 years until it was sold in 2021. The whole building is 9,000-square-feet and the chamber leased about 1,200-square-feet of office space and storage area. The building is about 100 years old, Pearce said.
There was a time when the chamber leased some of the space to the Downtown Middletown Partnership (now Downtown Middletown Inc.) and the Middletown Visitors Bureau, Pearce said.
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