Shaping the look, feel of real estate with restoration, reuse

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When a disaster hits a business or home, such as a fire or flood, the situation can be cumbersome and unsettling, to say the least.

One firm that specializes in this niche of construction has been quietly making a name for itself in the region, with the bulk of its work occurring in the Allentown area.

Cityline Construction of Allentown not only helps people temporarily relocate while it does a restoration, it also tackles adaptive reuse projects and new construction.

Incorporated in 1992, for the past decade Cityline Construction has been at the same location on West Hamilton Street in downtown Allentown.

Tom Williams Sr. started the firm and remains president and CEO; his son, Tom Williams Jr., is the company’s real estate director. Fire and water restoration work makes up a good portion of its business.

Examples of restorations for businesses damaged by fire or water include work for Bethlehem BrewWorks, National Plastics and Saucon Manor.

“If a fire happens in your home, we do reconstruction demolition, from simple smoke damage to total home reconstruction,” Williams Jr. said.

More than a decade ago, Allentown attorney Rich Somach had a pipe leak in his Allentown house that heavily damaged a cedar closet. He hired Cityline to restore the property.

“They made it so easy for me to deal with the insurance company,” Somach said. “… One thing led to another. So we started a business relationship.”

Somach, an attorney and partner with Norris, McLaughlin & Marcus of Allentown, now represents Cityline with the firm’s general corporate needs, including its real estate closings.