Two weeks after the incident, people still called Brothers Pizza with the question.
“Are you guys open?” they would ask.
It may be an odd question to ask of a business that has operated for 38 years, but the callers had good reason for concern. On Jan. 28, the roof of a garage adjoining the Hamilton Square restaurant began to crack under the weight of heavy snow and threatened to buckle. Fearing the building would collapse, police closed Route 33 — the major thoroughfare where Brothers Pizza stands — between Deerwood Drive and Paxson Avenue. Township inspectors, fire departments and the rescue squad were called in around 1 p.m., and safety protocol said that Brothers Pizza and the office of Vespia Tire and Auto Service might have to be demolished if any damage spread from the center of the building the businesses share.
Inspectors eventually determined the portion of the building that housed Brothers Pizza was safe, but much of Vespia’s space had to be knocked down. Crews from Sebastiano Nini Construction demolished that section of building just five hours after the ordeal started.
“There was very little damage to Brothers,” Hamilton Township construction official Ray Lumio said. “Just a little bit to the gable wall.”
Brothers Pizza opened for business the next morning, as workers sifted throught the remnants of Vespia’s garage. Co-owner Gennaro Carannante said there wasn’t any doubt that he would open if he could.
“We made sure everything was OK,” said Carannante, one of his restaurant’s namesakes along with brother Antimo. “The municipal inspector, the mayor, they came and checked things out. Everything was good. We’re on track and ready for another 30 years.”
He offered a meek smile.
“We are very fortunate,” he said. “I guess God wants us alive and well.”
In fact, no one sustained injuries during the scare. Patrons and employees immediately evacuated both Brothers Pizza and Vespia Tire. Rescue crews went in and out of the collapsing garage to save most of the vehicles being fixed. Lumio said they could see the walls bowing and heard the structure straining and creaking. One car could not be moved because it was up on a lift with a broken axel and without a transmission.
Crews then knocked down the column supporting the bowing wall, causing the middle section of the building to collapse without endangering Brothers Pizza or the office area of Vespia Tire.
A message on Vespia’s website said the Hamilton Square location remains closed at this time. All employees went to work at other Vespia Tire locations while crews rebuild the demolished portion of the structure. Lumio said the Carannantes are in the process of having plans drawn up and approved. The family owns the building, and Vespia Tires leases the Hamilton Square space from the Carannantes.
The Carannantes have been renovating the facility for several years now. In the past decade, they completed a renovation of the outside of the Brothers Pizza building. More construction is on its way. The parking lot will be redone once the snow melts and will include landscaping with Belgian blocks, Gennaro Carannante said.
Coming up, the Carannantes’ limited liability corporation also will fund the construction of a 6,000-square-foot commercial space in the lot between Brothers Pizza and Haldeman Nissan.
The message the Carannantes want to send is they are part of the community and plan to be for a long time. Judging by the mostly filled restaurant during lunchtime on an early February weekday, Hamilton residents have responded positively to that.
“We’re sincere with people,” Gennaro Carannante said. “We will always be present for the people of Hamilton Township.”
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