The Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce and five other Seacoast area chambers used a joint open house recently to unveil to the public the newly renovated One Liberty Lane, a regional business landmark recently transformed into 110,000 s/f of executive office and event space.
The event drew nearly 400 members from the chamber business communities in Portsmouth, Hampton, Exeter and Dover. It also drew universal praise for the work Milford real estate investment firm R.J. Finlay & Co. performed converting the former corporate headquarters of Thermo Fisher Scientific into what is now undoubtedly one of the region's premier office, conference and event centers.
The event, catered by the Galley Hatch with beverages donated by Smuttynose Brewing Co. and door prizes from a dozen regional businesses, marked the first time since R.J. Finlay & Co.'s acquisition of One Liberty Lane in the spring of 2009 that the building has been unveiled to the public. In the time since that purchase, R.J. Finlay & Co. transformed the facility into more than 80,000 s/f of commercial space, with 50 executive office suites, eight large commercial areas, and 18,000 s/f of conference and event space.
One Liberty Lane was designed by the Boston architecture firm of Royal Barry Wills Associates.
Built in 1975 the 26-acre private campus, it was first the corporate headquarters for Wheelabrator Technologies, before serving as the home of Fisher Scientific Corporation. When Fisher Scientific and Thermo Electron merged in late 2006, the stately brick building — which also housed a climate-controlled wine cellar, greenhouse and helipad — was no longer needed as a corporate headquarters.
R.J. Finlay & Co. has purchased the building looking to harness its extraordinary architecture and well-located setting at the intersection of I-95 and NH Rte. 101 as a magnet both for regional business and special events, from corporate conferences and trade shows to weddings and celebrations.