Deck the hall – New function hall opens at former ITAM

Walking into the new Casa Lucia Function Hall – and remembering the old ITAM – is like a wayward homeowner looking at the final results on one of those home makeover television shows.

Well, it may not be quite that dramatic, but the new facility has been turning heads and getting universal words of approval since opening its main hall late last month.

The carpet is new and nice.

The dance floor is refinished.

The sound system is state of the art.

There is crown molding virtually everywhere you look.

And the bar is probably the classiest in the entire area.

Contrast that with the old ITAM, which had older carpet, a musty cigarette smell and just a general need for updating.

With newness in place, owners Dan and Jane Rizzo and Ray and Priscilla Nickerson are ready for business and hoping to have both halls ready for a New Year’s Celebration.

“We have over a mile of molding on the walls,” said owner Dan Rizzo, who is also the City Council President and a successful insurance agent. “We didn’t want to cut any corners and we’re thinking that’s going to be an asset to the business. Everyone who comes in has been complimentary. Word is spreading that Revere now has a first-class function hall. It’s really catching on. We have 30 functions already booked, including three weddings.”

The first function at Casa Lucia was a Revere High Class of 1977 reunion, which went off without a hitch, Rizzo said.

“We were very, very grateful they chose us,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Revere Chamber of Commerce recently held their quarterly business breakfast at Casa Lucia and it was the first exposure to the new hall for most in the city.

Chamber Director Laurie Leone said they were very pleased with how things turned out.

“The beautiful décor and fabulous catering lent a very special feeling to our business breakfast and installation of officers & directors,” she said. “Since the room can hold up to 300 people, space is not an issue and guests feel very comfortable. The owners and staff at Casa Lucia are very nice to work with and were able to provide us with everything we needed. Also, it’s very refreshing to have a place such as Casa Lucia be one of the facilities the Chamber can suggest to people who want to have their wedding or other special occasion in Revere.”

Said Mayor Tom Ambrosino, “It seems like it would be a great place to have a function in the City of Revere.”

While the upstairs hall accommodates around 240 to 300 people, the lower hall will handle functions of 100 or fewer.

Complete with another very nice bar, flat screen televisions and a dance floor with Roman columns, the hall is designed for birthday parties, Super Bowl parties or small anniversaries.

This New Year’s, both halls are expected to get their first heavy workout.

“We are having a party here and wound up with 240 people plus 40 on a waiting list,” said Rizzo. “So, we committed to getting the downstairs open for New Year’s so we can have everyone come.”

In closing, the Rizzos said that their partnership with the Nickersons has been great. The couples have worked together politically for many years, and this is their first business venture together.

“Ray and Priscilla have worked tremendously hard,” said Dan Rizzo. “Ray oversaw most of the construction. He did a tremendous job. I don’t think there’s another partner I would have rather had.”