About Us
Celebrating 80 Years
Surrey Cadillac Limousine Service has proudly been in business in New York City for 80 years. Serving some of New York’s finest families and businesses synonymous with Manhattan’s greatest institutions.
After starting out in New York City as a taxi fleet operator Pasquale Ciullo decided to go into the auto rental business and in 1937 founded Carnegie Hall Auto Rental and Limousine Service Inc. Located at 108 West 56th Street in Manhattan, Carnegie Hall Auto was located in what is still considered the heart of New York City. Car rentals were considered rare in the late 1930’s, but would continue to grow exponentially, specifically in Manhattan in the decades to come. To set itself apart, Ciullo and Carnegie Hall Auto specialized its service in what we know today as classic convertibles and sedans, which was unique for its time.
Pasquale’s son Angelo joined the family business in 1942 working towards cultivating Carnegie Hall Auto’s niche market in the highly competitive world of car rentals. Situated at the heart of the theater capital of the world, and through the leadership of father and son, Carnegie Hall Auto Rental and Limousine continued to thrive. Both Pasquale and Angelo credited their business to the loyal and satisfied customers that regularly used the service, and would then refer the service to others.
Over the next two and a half decades, Carnegie Hall Auto Rental and Limousine would acquire several smaller companies and grow to a larger fleet. As the Carnegie Hall Auto Rental continued to flourish, Pasquale and Angelo decided to move from the originating 56th street location to 157 West 83rd street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues.
By 1960 Carnegie Hall Auto Rental had seen such a consistent increase in business, it had expanded operations to a 100 vehicle fleet. In 1965 Angelo and his father began noticing a larger need in high end limousine and livery service, and thus began focusing their efforts on the limousine aspect of Carnegie Hall Auto.
After the passing of our founder Pasquale Ciullo in 1969, his only son Angelo became acting President and continued to acquire additional livery companies that were looking to consolidate; and, in 1970 Angelo Ciullo purchased Surrey Limousine Service, a longstanding boutique name in Manhattan livery. In the most radical change in company’s 33 year history Angelo decided to combine Carnegie Auto Rental & Limousine Service Inc. and Surrey Limousine, into what is now known today as Surrey Cadillac Limousine Service Inc. and moving the expanded fleet to a larger location on Crescent Street in Long Island City, at the foot of the 59th street Bridge.
Surrey Cadillac Limousine Service continued operating under the same business model, of satisfied customers is good for business. Angelo employed only the most qualified and professional fleet of drivers, for our clients and thus expanded our clientele to some of New York’s finest families and Clubs, whom which we still serve.
In 1986 Angelo’s son Pasquale ‘Pat’ Ciullo (named after Angelo’s father and Carnegie Hall Auto Founder) joined Surrey Cadillac Limousine Service Inc. marking the third generation of Ciullo men to take the helm. Two short years later, Angelo Ciullo passed away suddenly, leaving Pat to lead Surrey Cadillac Limousine into what is known as the most successful years in Surrey Cadillac Limousine Service’s history.
Following the models set by his father and grandfather before him, Pat was able to grow the clientele from not only New York families, but to also include the Presidents, CEOs and Vice Presidents of the most respected Fortune 500 companies in the United States.
2005 was the year in which Surrey Cadillac Limousine Service Inc. returned to the island of Manhattan, and what is our current location of 439 East 77th Street. Although the landscape of transportation in Manhattan has drastically changed over the last decade, Surrey Cadillac Limousine Service maintained its commitment to service and kept the satisfaction of our clients at the center, and therefore we have been able to continue to represent and serve the upper echelon of Manhattan’s elite.
80 years since it’s founding, Surrey Cadillac Limousine Service Inc. is owned and operated by the Ciullo family and proud to serve the finest families and companies of New York City and the Tri-State area.