Part 2 in a series
John Davidson and Phid Dantos were in their early 30s when they led a successful fight against urban renewal and later created Danton Realty Trust. By 1966, they had razed the Square and Compass Club at the corner of High and Elm streets, built a new Masonic Temple on the back of that property, and were building a modern, three-story structure in the front. Many people, some of them old friends, didn't like the building and asked them why they were constructing such a "monstrosity."
Last week I wrote about Phid's background; today, I'll do the same for John Davidson. John Davidson's grandparents emigrated from Armenia in the early 1880s and eventually took over a small farm in West Andover. Davidson's father, Leon, was raised on that farm. Leon's life as a farm boy was arduous; he worked for hours before going to school and for hours after it. During World War I, he served as an ambulance driver. He returned home after the war and was soon married. Leon and his wife, Agnes, had three children: Charlie, Dorothy and John. (The farmhouse where Leon Davidson lived as a child was near what became the 17th hole of the Andover Country Club. He would buy the club many years later. The house is still there.)
In 1925, Leon Davidson purchased 125-127 Main St. and started a restaurant in the right side of the building, which he named Leon's. "Doc" was Leon's nickname, and that nickname attached itself to the restaurant. Doc's was a busy place, and many of the customers were from Phillips and Abbot academies. John Davidson began working at Doc's in the fifth grade. He says that his older brother, Charlie, and he were put on parallel courses by their father.
"We were expected to work all of the time, excel in school and receive no pay. That was a family obligation. However, as long as we understood our requirements, my father would give and get for us anything we wanted."
John went to Phillips and Harvard. He completed the ROTC program at Harvard and joined the Air Force after graduation. It was during the Korean War, but the truce occurred when he was in training. While John was still in school, his brother, Charlie, and his brother-in-law, Virg Marson, purchased an existing men's clothing store next to Doc's, and this was the beginning of the Andover Shop. When John was discharged from the Air Force, he joined Charlie and Virg in the business. Soon after, they opened a second Andover Shop in Cambridge. By the early 1960s, Danton Realty Trust was taking so much of John's time that he left the Andover Shop to put all his energy into the trust.
Phid Dantos remembers a poignant moment in the early years of the Danton Realty Trust. On the Memorial Day prior to the demolition of the Square and Compass Club, Clan MacPherson's traditional bagpipe and drum band gathered in the parking lot behind the club. They had done this for many years, but this time they did something different and played "Auld Lang Syne" as a remembrance for the club. Phid was across the street in his business, the Andover Spa, selling Memorial Day coconuts. He says that when he heard the band he felt sad that he was responsible for the building's demise. However, as with Davidson, he was devoting time, energy and assets to Danton Realty Trust, and both men would face ruin if they reversed their plans.
Through a mutual acquaintance, they found their first major tenant for the 28,000-square-foot building they planned to build on the site of the Square and Compass Club. Dan Hogan was the chief executive officer of Standard International Corp. (now called Standex), a holding company that owned two high-profile brands, Lestoil and Bon Ami, and several other companies. Standard also controlled the A&P Building where Bertucci's Restaurant is today, and Standard planned to move its corporate headquarters there after renovating the building.
Phid and John met with Hogan and explained that they believed Standard was making a mistake moving into an old grocery store. They offered to name their soon-to-be constructed building the Standard International Building. The deal was attractive to Hogan, but he had a problem: what to do with the A&P Building. In 1964, more than a year before the Standard International Building was started, the three men entered into an agreement. Standard International would rent half the space in the new building and Danton Realty Trust would buy the A&P Building. The A&P Building required total renovation before it could be occupied. So, another project was added to the trust's portfolio. It was a high risk time for Davidson and Dantos, but both men were young and ambitious. The next few months would be critical.
Quickly, they developed a plan for the A&P Building; again, it was through a successful acquaintance. The Andover Institute of Business (often called AIB) was owned and operated by Charles Liponis (who died this past October). AIB, which was located in Olde Andover Village at 89 Main St., was growing quickly because of its particularly strong curriculum in computers. Charlie Liponis was a man of unusual foresight, and within a few years he would own 11 such schools. Phid and Charlie shared a common Greek heritage and were close enough friends that Phid was the clerk of Liponis' corporation. By the time Danton Realty Trust owned the A&P Building, Liponis was committed to renting it out in its entirety. Things seemed to be going well.
The front page of the January 14, 1965, Townsman showed an architect's elevation of the Standard International Building. The Townsman said Dan Hogan had announced that Standard would move its headquarters to the new building when it was built. Hogan said the decision to occupy the $1 million building was an expression of faith in the community. Two weeks later, a Townsman editorial said the deal was a boon to downtown Andover. The editorial specifically praised Dantos and Davidson, saying their success with this venture would be a success for Andover.
It may have been looking easy for Danton Realty Trust, but Dantos and Davidson knew better. Half of the new building was yet to be rented, and, in those days, Andover's center was still pretty beat up. In five years the roof of the shoddy-looking Musgrove building would collapse. Post Office Avenue was a mess and some of Park Street was only a little better. Major tenants could be hard to find.
On top of their existing projects, Dantos and Davidson would soon have other downtown projects, and would face the criticism of their fellow townspeople.
This story will continue next week.
Bill Dalton writes a weekly column for the Townsman and would like to hear from you, especially if you have some interesting stories and facts about Andover. He can be reached at billdalton@andovertownie.com.
