Coleridge Rentals was founded by Harold and Adele Christel in 1967. Back then they were expecting their first child, and Adele’s mother (Nana) decided to move to Norwalk to help with the newborn. She needed housing so they posted an ad in the Norwalk Reflector seeking to purchase a rental home within walking distance of downtown. The owners of a large historic West Main Street property responded to the ad, but it was more than the Christels needed or could afford. Instead, they purchased a small two-family home on East Main Street where Nana lived upstairs.

Harold never forgot about the West Main Street property, and after later learning of the owner’s continued desire to sell, they made an offer. This was a huge leap of faith for a young family of modest means, especially after the bank initially denied their loan application, delaying the purchase by a year. When the loan was eventually approved it coincided with Harold’s 41st birthday, and to commemorate the occasion Adele baked him a special cake assembled to look like the planned apartment complex – complete with a graham cracker roof!

The 140 West Main Street apartment complex remains our flagship property to this day. Additional properties were acquired during the 1980s when the business was known as Christel Properties, and in 2019 we rebranded as Coleridge Rentals. Our name and logo are a tribute to Adele’s Nebraska hometown and the parsonage she grew up in. After all, it was Nana’s move to Norwalk that launched the family business.

We consider ourselves extremely blessed to have developed so many wonderful relationships over the years with tenants, tradespeople, business partners and neighbors. Members of the second and third generation are now involved with the business, as we seek to continue Harold & Adele’s legacy. Needless to say, we’re very proud of our Norwalk heritage and having served the community’s housing needs for more than 56 years.