The owner of the Hammer Pharmacy building in the East Village is taking his time with renovations.

“We’re taking a great deal of care,” said Bill Dodd, owner of the building. “I have a background in preservation, and I would rather do it right than fast. This will be the most authentic restoration in the East Village so far.”

Dodd is the president of ResCare Inc., which occupies the top floor of the building. He bought the 110-year-old building in June 2007 and has been slowly renovating it since then.

Dodd hired an architect and engineer to ensure the proper look of the renovation. Dodd said external renovations and window replacement should be complete by mid-summer.

Securing financing to renovate the street-level retail space on East Grand Avenue is still needed Dodd said, but he hopes to have the project wrapped up within two or three years.