In 1930, Benny Broccoli Sr. begins working for Howard & Lewis Ford in Providence, R.I.
He becomes known as one of the best engine mechanics on some of the first Ford Model A & Model T automobiles.
He rebuilds the engines with such tight clearances that the only way to get it to start for the first time is to push the vehicle down a hill.
After WWII, he built his own business from newly-available steel and used brick on Delaine St. and named it Delaine Autobody & Radiator Works. He invents & patents an engine remover and installer system.
Since the war was over, manufacturing refocused around the automobile. Everyone was buying new cars, and manufacturers were re-designing the idea of the automobile.
His invention is deemed obsolete. Cars weren’t breaking as often, and Benny had less work. It’s here that he decided to take on the expanding field of auto-body work as a specialty, repainting and restoring damaged vehicles after they crash into each other; a consequence of an increasingly crowded & confusing world.
Three of Benny's children, Anthony, Benedetto, and Biajio, take over the company.
Eventually the business was moved from Providence to Johnston, RI, and resided on Atwood Avenue.
Despite having to change locations, Delaine remained a strong pioneer in the industry, creating the moral background of quality and personality in small business that we happily bring to you today.
After some time, Delaine was dissolved as the brothers wished to move on to other things. By this time, however, Benedetto had already trained his sons, Anthony and David, the tricks of the trade. An agreement could not be made to transfer the business, so Delaine was no more.
Anthony, nicknamed “Brock” by his peers,
continues the family tradition & opens Brock’s Collision Center on October 31st, 1993.
continues the family tradition & opens Brock’s Collision Center on October 31st, 1993.
Brock’s started as a very small business, occupying merely a large concrete bay, a painting booth, and an office. It remained this way for quite some time. It was this small bay that Mike stepped into one morning to ask Anthony for an internship. Mike has been a member of our family since that day, over a decade ago, and our shop has only grown since then. From a few small rooms and a box of tools, we have developed into a full service collision center. Mike received his Collision Repair Degree from N.E.I.T. & has over 15 years of experience in the field. He is aproud father of two young boys, and the proud owner of a 1998 BMW E36 M3 in Hellrot Red.
Avery, Anthony's son, grew up in an atmosphere surrounded by automobiles of all shapes, sizes, makes, models, and ages. He attended the University of Rhode Island where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy & a Bachelor of Arts in Writing & Rhetorical Analysis. He has over 10 years experience in the field. He is engaged to be married, and the proud owner of a 1952 MG TD Series.
Brock’s Collision Center is rooted into a timeline of craftsmanship that has been honed since the invention of the vehicle itself. Our dedication, our skill, and our overall attitude towards this industry are fine-tuned by the time we have spent with it; from Delaine Street to Post Road, we’ve been working on cars every step of the way, and doing it right. We look forward to sharing with you a quality of service that only a century of understanding can provide!
