Don’t knock the Roc

Reality Bites by James Norton

Rocco J. Antonelli, Sr., a born and raised Somerville native may now live in Andover, but his heart   never left here.  The acclaimed businessman sat at our contributors meeting two weeks ago and shared some of his life story with us.  Some of us who knew him before that morning had no idea of the accomplishments the young at heart 84 year old had achieved in his personal and professional life.

“I loved playing basketball” he said, which seemed an understatement considering he graduated from Somerville High with honors with an “Outstanding Scholar Athlete Award” and went on to Tufts University briefly until World War II.

"As a Naval Officer, he was highly decorated for bravery with four Bronze Stars.  When asked of his experience being present at the surrender of the Japanese on September 2, 1945, in Tokyo Bay, he stated, “it was truly an honor to be there to witness such an important event in world history."

Rocco came back to continue his studies at Tufts, where in 1946 he was invited to tryout for the Boston Celtics.  “It was truly an honor to have been invited,” he said humbly.  He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Tufts and then went on to Harvard Business School for his MBA – of course as the captain of the basketball team during this time.

In the early 50’s, Rocco worked for Algonquin Gas Transmission Company, where he was personally responsible for the construction of the natural gas pipeline from New Jersey to Massachusetts.  Soon afterward, in 1955, he founded R.J. Antonelli and Company, a public accounting firm, which he has been president of ever since.

“I loved all things business, but my heart was in accounting,” he said, as he spoke of his many years devoted to the business.  His public service started at an early age as well, he was the City Treasurer for Somerville from 1959-1960 and later on was elected as Middlesex County Treasurer from 1979-1983.  In between those times and since then he has “served on many boards and associations” and authored both the Massachusetts and National Regulatory Laws.

“We started our business in Union Square in 1955, but saw that Davis Square was where there would be the most dramatic change in the way real estate was developed.”  In 1969 he built his first building in Davis Square and moved his business in – and never looked back.  Rocco and other similarly minded investors started buying burned out buildings and went to “outside” lenders for creative financing to purchase many of the buildings that are still standing in the square today. 

“There was a vision of a great square long before the Red Line was here,” he said and went on to explain that many of the problems with commercial buildings keeping tenants today is because of the high debt load most building owners have to carry.  “That means higher and higher rents that the smaller shops just can’t afford.”

“Better traffic mitigation and the need to build hi-rise buildings and hotels in the immediate area of Davis Square is vital to it’s future” he said, when asked where he sees the square in another ten years.

Today, even in his 80’s, Rocco still goes to work every day at his Woburn office and he doesn’t see himself slowing down anytime soon.  “They might have to carry me out of my office someday” he joked.  He might be right, but hopefully it won’t be for many years.

Comments

[stop_whining]

Jamie your too funny. If people like Rocco still had power in Somerville the dark clouds that once loomed over the city would never have lifted. Your either too young to remember the truth- or worse maybe Rocco has decided to run a few ads or give a listing or two to you all?

[Tricky]

Perhaps Mr. Antonelli's vision has faded some over time, if he's the same Antonelli who owns the building that the Halloween store keeps popping up in every October. I don't know what's he thinking of when he's talking about a grat square, because there's also been a Buck-a-Book and a low-grade liquor store in that same space over the last 15 years. Who's he waiting to rent to?

In addition, better traffic mitigation and the need to build hi-rise buildings and hotels in the immediate area of Davis Square are two parts to an unsolvable equation.

[stop_whining]

To the contrary Tricky ... Its always been about Rocco ...

I wont dig up the dirt but you dont need to have much of a history in Somerville to know this guy is a first class dirt bag.

[Ron Newman]

I seem to recall that way back in the 1970s or early 80s (before I got here), the people of Davis Square prevented a high-rise development proposal on Rocco's land. The neighborhood has a 50-foot height limit that most of us are very happy with.

The former Buck-a-Book is supposed to become a Chipotle restaurant, but when is construction of that going to start?

[truth it is]

to say Rocco and family have a dubious and questionable reputation would be to elevate their status...

These people are what had been wrong with SOmerville for many years... and Rocco is the mastermind of take everything you can no matter what the legal or ethical issue at hand.

[Tricky]

Yeesh, Chipotle. Yet another step towards the mallification of Davis Square. Perhaps Mr. Antonelli's spent too much time in that Woburn office of his. Although maybe there is some genius in locating Chipotle right across from Starbucks - perhaps it will concentrate the Uber-Yuppie Somerville wannabees in one place, and keep the lines shorter at Anna's. Yum.

[Hymie]

Maybe some Somerville Historian should devulge the other side of the Antonelli story for the readers of this site .....ask Rooco about his relationships with Paul haley Sr and jackie "rockport" Havigan who bought the land and built the house he and his family own with somerville funds,,,,, Oh and dont for get the Piro's vinny "walk around" and peter "Football cards" ... oh and what about Bobby campo and dennis "the senator" (huh) Mc Kenna" all illustrious public servants doing right by the somerville tax payers.......oh and hey rocco how is that ex register son of yours still doin crack ? doing........any time? antionelli what a F ------ joke.......what a disgrace to the Italian heritage god bless america