 Profile Self Storages Old Man of the Mountain. (Original in inset) |
 Backhoe places heavy pieces of granite for the statue. |
 Profile Self Storage, Hooksett, N.H. |
One mist-shrouded night, the Old Man of the Mountain quietly slipped away. No one in the Profile Lake, N.H., region saw him go. They just knew that on the morning of May 3, 2003, the famous 10,000-year-old geological formation that resembled the craggy face of an old man had fallen off the Franconia Mountains.
But the Old Man is not forgotten. David Scarpetti and his twin brothers, Paul and Kenneth, honored the formation with the name of their new self-storage facility in Hooksett, N.H.: Profile Self Storage. They then went one better by building a replica of the profile on site.
Everyone around here was upset when the Old Man fell, Paul says. I always intended to show the Old Man to my kids when they got older.
They wont have to go far.
The Old Man Returns
The idea to resurrect the Old Man came to the brothers shortly after his visage crumbled. Paul owns a construction company and asked one of his subcontractors, Paul Langella, owner of Langella & Son Masonry in Manchester, N.H., if he could reconstruct the monument from a template. Countless hours were spent planning and researching the project before Langella began selecting granite from Belisle Granite Co. in Hooksett. Paul Scarpetti and Dave worked for three weeks digging the foundation and pouring the footing.
The sculpture required 40 tons of granite and took Langella about 300 man-hours for carving and installation. He assembled and labeled hundreds of rock pieces at the quarry to ensure they interlocked like a puzzle. Then the rocks were transported to the Profile site and fastened together with concrete mix.
The structure is one-fourth the size of the original Old Man and measures 10 feet from chin to forehead. As a finishing touch, granite chips were poured down the grassy hill around the monument, enhancing the illusion it juts from a mountain. The figure cost more than $25,000 and took nearly five weeks to construct.
Unlike the original crag, the face of the monument-to-a-monument can be seen from the highway in any direction. People stop all the time to take photos of the statue, which is lit at night, Paul says. Its great publicity for us since the Old Man is only about 150 feet away from our facility office.
Contemporary Classics
 Paul Langella supervises the building of the Old Man. |
Profile Storage may take its name from an ancient landmark, but the facility is completely contemporary. The sites first two buildings, occupying 12,900 square feet, opened in November and are already more than 40 percent leased up. Seven more buildings are on the drawing board, with build out anticipated next year. Plans call for a total of 63,000 square feet with 600 to 700 units, depending on the mix, Paul says. Two structures are earmarked for climate control, and covered RV storage may be added due to customer demand.
The facility features state-of-the-art security cameras, an intercom, alarm system, automatic lights and two-door access on larger units. The elegant, wood-paneled office provides a workstation where customers can use a copier, wireless Internet, fax and telephone.
In addition to their partnership in the storage facility, Paul owns Sierra Development and Ken and David are co-owners of Sierra Realty. The three brothers have their offices above Profiles lobby where they can view their tribute to the Old Man of the Mountain.
Good News
Storage Owners Hold Canned Food Drive
Kevin Howard Real Estate, Portland, Ore., and the storage facilities under its management collected 7,977 cans of food during November and December. This was the 15th year for the companys annual food drive. All 54 facilities offered tenants and new customers $1 off their rent for donations of cans. Various local agencies such as the Elks Club, St. Vincent de Paul, Kiwanis Club, local churches and food banks distributed the food to needy families.