1674-33 Gerry Sanchez •
Page-83
.,i..z.,:,,,i,..
Artist's eye4
8.,. ,....„.„.....„, ...;;
111.„.,.„.:,..
- boosts Newburgh's revival
•
fl1U _
t- 40 � = f tiwr(��
! f 1 .. ,.
. .,.. ' . r— ..- -,-, ,. .' It?r, . •.....,..,...:.,,-* .:., ,.. 7 ',21 1 i , C‘:11111)
', -4iqi,..;.: tIl:
'r ...1. ,A, 1 . c:,..,
i ..,„ .„.". , , „
�,
� „,,,,,,„, . _ ...: .. .,
Fb.t&hil�_Qt
f ' �;y;� iAi4rt SUNDAY
,w t -
�
f�t October 29,2000
, ,-.i The Times Herald-Record
1 -
•
T
. [;I Cunningham,:ji
'.f 6 Rosiness
- „r-.. -. I . editor,
1. ._ & ' 346 -3202
- - - - - - dcunninghame'
NEWBURGH: Gerry Sanchez has big ideas for restoring the luster of the city's buildings. th-record.tom
By Wayne A.Hall
The Times Herald-Record marvelous job,"says city history buff John district,Newburgh has a large inventory of
whallClh-record.com McCormick. decaying buildings. From Friday's close:
► A tougher nut is the'takeover of the Sanchez has made his name as a restorer, •
RestorerdeveloperGerrySanchez's Foundry condominiums-an anchor on the not just a developer. Dow Jones Industrials
eyes widen behind his oval,horn- city's tax rolls that never realized its potential "Like a woman's makeup,I see action,beau- +210.50 10590.62
rimmed,tinted glasses.Between of 212 units,partly because past developers ty,"says Sanchez of the city's storehouse of 4 SSP 500
strains of Vivaldi in a bakery he walked away after completing 28 units. aging facades. +15.131379.57
haunts,he pulls out postcards. Sanchez hopes to finish more than 30 units, Re's done Greenwood Cemetery in Brook- 45 Russell 2000
"See this."Ile points to a 19-century Egypt- with more to follow. lyn,where Houdini is buried.He counts as a +0.09 479.85
ian Revival mausoleum he restored in New- ► Historic,fire-gutted City Club:Sanchez pal Eusebio Leal, the guru of Havana's
burgh."I want to do a postcard of each and now owns the building,a key to developing restoration. Sanchez in the 1900s sold a 4 NASD Composite
every important building in Newburgh,100 of courthouse square.He says he's close to get- restored colonial Spanish 26-room jewel of +6.18 3278.36
them,and put them out for people to mail or ting a variance for a mega-magazine store South Miami Beach apartments to designer 'r 30-yr.bond yield
buy.Who else is going to do this?" with a restaurant and cafe. Gianni Versace for$3 million(Sanchez and a -0.011 5,740
The Cuban-horn developer-the"Duke of ' What's next?Eventually,Sanchez would like partner made about S2 million). 4 London(100)
Deco"in Miami's South Beach historic rebirth the city to let him buy 40 acres atop Snake 11111, That was great for Sanchez,but not so good +78.10 6380.40
-isn't bashful."I'm promoting the city,"says which has a magnificent view of the Hudson for Versace,who was slain there by a serial ♦Tokyo(ndj) •
Sanchez about his big ideas for Newburgh, River.He'll build a home there. killer. -276.23 14582.20 '
including the postcards. "It will command a tremendous price in the "We said when we came here wesvere going
A few ideas have flopped,like the 300-foot- future,"says Sanchez."You just need a pie- to tackle the most difficult projects.That's the
tall statute of Columbus for Newburgh's neer." challenge,"says Sanchez,"Anybody can devel- Inside:
waterfront that a Russian artist decided was At 50,a bit overweight,with gray hair,wear- op a building and rent it." Batik rates chart'85
better sited somewhere else. ing stylish stacks and loafers,Sanchez.prowls What Sanchez has brought to Newburgh,
So after his impressive debut several years his Newburgh buildings,a cigarette dangling says Faulds,)a"a love affair"
ago,how has Sanchez done,and who's benefit- from his fingers and a cell phone damped to Some of it's frustrating. This week's
•
eel the most from having him around? his eau:It keeps hint in touch with 10 site man- "The rate of deterioration is faster than the
!lard to say,according to city officials.And agers for his New York City-based restoration rate of rehab in Newburgh,"says Sanchez. topics
Sanchez says he can't put a dollar figure on his company,Polonia,which has far-flung clients, To speed up development,he's formed the
Newburgh balance sheet,although he says including a stonework maintenance contract Newburgh Developers Association,which Monday:Work
lie's invested a lot more-$750,000 in just one for Lincoln Center. • brings investors and anks together. Tuesday:Investing
job-than he's earned in Newburgh. "In New York City,it's verydifficult to have "Itis contribution goes beyond restoration, y g
Here's a Sanchez report card: an impact; even Trump has trouble doing because be has elicited a lot of interest in the Wednesday:Technology
' ► He's transformed a group of derelict that,"says Sanchez."In Newburgh,I can be a city,"says McKenna."The Developer's Associ- Thursday:Small business
buildings in the Broadway corridor into soft- factor." ation is an invaluable networking tool." Friday:Careers
brown brick facades,with Victorian era trim. "Gerry could be anywhere he wants to be. "Inc' creating a PR apparatus to convince
He's almost finished.That's a spotlight on We're lucky he's here,"says history buff Colin people Newburgh has changed and is on the Saturday:Consumers
what Newburgh used to look like,and people Faulds,a member of the city's historic preser- right track,"says Sanchez,"and that New- Today:Commuting,map
are noticing the difference,says city conunu- vation community burgh is worth taking the risk." and details/84
nity renewal expert Robert McKenna. "He's made sonic good progress," says Ask Sanchez what he would like written on .
"Who wouldn't like them?lie's taken the McKenna. his monument,and lie shoots back,"He was .
paint off and done it correctly.You don't sand- In fact,says Sanchez,Newburgh was made like Christopher Columbus:a risk-taker and a •
blast bricks;you have to do it chemically.It's a for him To go with the state's largest historic visionary."