By Steve Yablonski
They have repurposed a building in Bridie Square
Century 21 Galloway Realty has come home.
For about three years, professionals at the agency worked out of office space in the former Education Center, 120 E. First St., Oswego.
In May, they moved across the river. They are now doing business at 335 W. First St., Bridie Square, in a building formerly occupied by Spectrum.
The site was a work in progress in early May. Renovations were being done to create space for offices, a kitchen, conference room, office equipment, storage and more.
According to Bill Galloway, broker-owner, the new office is about 3,700 square feet, roughly the same as they had on the third floor at their former location.
“We opened up in the other building, and then COVID hit,” he said. “We were on the third floor. Now we’re street level.
“I own this building. There’s a lot going on in Oswego, a lot of development and we wanted to get back into the hub of it.”
The move represents a homecoming of sorts; they have previously had offices in the area.
Not only do they own the building they moved into, but also the land surrounding it.
Having helped develop property along the river, the area features nice, river view apartments as well as commercial space, according to Elaine Galloway, office coordinator.
The new location is in a heavily trafficked area on the edge of the downtown business district.
The updated space is a better fit and size for the business, offers better overall accessibility and is convenient to nearby areas targeted for future commercial development, Elaine Galloway explained.
“We gutted the whole thing. It’s completely different — renovated all through,” she said. “Hopefully, now that things are moving in a different direction with COVID, we’ll get people coming into the office. So we’re in a good spot for that. Being at street level is a big plus.”
The land, purchased by Bill Galloway from his father, Thomas, in 2003, is also home to Bridie Manor—the old Ontario Mills building built by Abraham Varick in 1833 and owned and restored by Thomas in the mid-1980s.
To this day, the building and its surrounding environs, including the cement wall all along the Bridie Square Road that remains from what was once part of the Varick Canal, serve as a testament to the area’s historical legacy of continual commercial development.
“The whole road was the canal,” Bill Galloway said. “Several mills were located in this area.”
Thomas Galloway started Galloway Real Estate in the mid 1960s. In 1994, Bill and his wife Elaine purchased Century 21 Galloway Realty from his father. Bill became the broker-owner and has devoted more than 40 years of his life to real estate.
Bill and Elaine have two sons, Ryan and Brandan; both have used their skills in technology to help the family business.
