Harmar House to stay in the family, become a boat dealership

After a fire in 2023 gutted much of Futules’ Harmar House, a longtime banquet and events hall, members of the Futules’ clan are working to repurpose the shuttered site — this time as a boat dealership.

Tony Futules, 51, said he and his father William, 76, are working to determine how much of the building can be saved and what will have to be demolished.

“We won’t truly know, unfortunately, until we start tearing things down,” Tony said.

The owner of Futules Marine, Tony recently bought an ownership stake in the Harmar House from his uncle, Allegheny County Councilman Nick Futules.

Tony said he’s hoping to begin demolition work by the end of the year, ahead of a planned opening next summer.

Preliminary plans involve leveling the area that once held the Harmar House’s upstairs apartments and lounge as well as filling in the basement bar area, he said. If the marine business requires more space, however, he said he may rebuild that section of the building.

But Tony said the part of the structure that housed the hall’s ballroom and buffet area will likely be converted into a showroom for watercraft.

“We’ll make it nice again,” he said.

After growing up in Pittsburgh, Tony spent more than a decade in South Florida as a boat captain. When his first son was born, he and his wife, Danielle, returned home and worked at the Harmar House. When they grew older, his son and daughter also worked at the family business, he said.

It wasn’t long before Tony said he began to miss the water, though.

And in 2017, he founded Futules Marine, a Yamaha distributor, renting space at the nearby Cheswick Marina.

As Tony balanced the idea of taking over the family business with his growing marine enterprise, a fire that began in the kitchen tore through the building.

“When the fire happened, it kind of made the decision for us,” he said.

As he plans the next steps for the scorched complex, he said there’s still lots of emotions wrapped up in the hall, which hosted weddings, wakes, sports banquets and numerous other events for thousands of families.

William said the fire, which took place on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the family’s purchase of the site, was “heartbreaking.”

“We certainly didn’t want to go out that way,” he said.

But he’s glad the Futules name will remain at the hall, where he’s looking forward to keeping busy with his son.

Though he said Tony will take the lead on the new business, William is no stranger to marine equipment.

Decades ago, he said he frequently took Tony and his siblings out boating on the Allegheny River, where Tony first developed his interest in watercraft.

By next summer, Tony said he plans to be operational, but work at the site likely won’t be done until closer to the end of the year.

The dealership will sell several brands of boats including Yamaha, Veranda and Xpress, he said. Tony said the business also offers boat maintenance and storage services.

The site will also serve as the headquarters for another family business, Futules Excavation, which specializes in demolition and excavation, he said.

Still, Tony said he plans to incorporate some motifs of the old Harmar House into the new business. He even said the idea of reintroducing a pool hall has been floated.