Brooklyn lawyer has designs on Kingston’s waterfront
By LYNN WOODS

The sudden removal recently of the Kosco oil tanks from the Kingston waterfront signaled big changes were in store for the derelict industrial area. A clearer picture of what those changes might be emerged at a press conference last week at the Fitch Building, a fanciful 1850 stone miniature castle on the Rondout Creek that was built as the headquarters for a bluestone company and now is the home of Robert Iannucci and his wife and business partner, Sonia Ewers.

Ever since visiting the city on a cruise up the Hudson on the historic John J. Harvey fireboat four years ago, the Brooklyn attorney and properties manager has been buying up property along the waterfront. At the press conference, he said he had just closed on parcels owned by Kosco Oil Co. and was about to close on property owned by Central Hudson, completing his acquisition of more than half a mile of contiguous prime Kingston waterfront.

Judging from Iannucci’s description of his plans, his passion for Kingston’s history and potential, and what he has already accomplished ­ the establishment of a living history museum at the landmark Cornell Building, focused on the restoration of historic work boats ­ he appears dedicated to revitalizing the waterfront.

If he succeeds, Kingston could finally attain the critical mass it needs in terms of attractions, activities and amenities to be transformed into a destination oriented around historic tourism ­ without losing its soul, so to speak. That’s partly because Iannucci, a self-described “motor head,” brings to the enterprise his own off-beat fascination with antique boats, cars and motorcycles, along with a pragmatic interest in the people and artifacts that make a place unique.

‘Uniquely Kingstonian’

Since buying the Cornell Building in 2004, Iannucci has acquired four World War II PT boats and several tugboats ­ he calls it the “Fleet Obsolete” ­ which includes one that’s been fully restored, complete with gun and torpedo mountings. It has been used for special fundraising outings for nonprofit groups, including the ASPCA and the Boys & Girls Club of Kingston. Iannucci gave press conference attendees a whirlwind cruise aboard the PT boat to demonstrate the potential for tourism and learning.

 

“Kingston is surrounded by towns and cities that bottomed out and are now on the upswing,” Iannucci said. “We think Kingston can be a hub. It has great transportation, it has the best harbor on the river and it has a history going back to pre-Revolutionary War times. We think this project can be very viable, where everybody wins. The land allows for development. It’s almost a no-brainer.”

Iannucci said he is eager to partner with the city, noting the main thing that attracted him to Kingston, besides the waterfront itself, was the comprehensive waterfront plan the city conducted a few years ago. As the sole owner of the property, he said he is able to create a series of projects “that complement each other, are more interesting and provide more public access” than would be possible with separate owners. “We want to embrace the waterfront plan to make it uniquely Kingstonian.”

He envisions a public walkway along the entire frontage, with cobblestone or bluestone sidewalks and cast-iron lamp posts. He also proposes to build a marina, hotel, restaurants, art galleries and artists’ studios, anchored by the museum in the Cornell Building, which was formerly used to refurbish tugboats. Iannucci said he planned to acquire partners and form joint ventures on certain projects, such as the hotel. He estimates the total investment cost, including money from partners, at $50 million.

His “Historic Kingston Waterfront Museum” will feature exhibits, the ongoing restoration of visiting historic boats, educational programs on boat restoration for at-risk youth, and the “Fleet Obsolete,” of course. A portion of Iannucci’s cache of 100 vintage motorcycles might fill out the collection.

Plans under way

On a tour of the Cornell Building, a Model A Ford, several enormous boat motors and a couple of wooden skiffs were spotted amid the stored items in the huge workroom. Photographs depicting life aboard a canal barge in the 1940s and 1950s took up another section of the space. There was also Iannucci’s snappy red 1971 Ferrari, which he had driven over from the Fitch Building and parked inside. In the back room, participants in a local community boat-building program were at work on various projects.

 

Iannucci also owns Island Dock, a large peninsula of wooded land protruding into the creek that once served as the storage area for the copious shipments of coal arriving by barge from Pennsylvania. He has plans to build 100 to 140 townhouses on the site, each with its own dock.

But his immediate concern is to start developing the waterfront. He has already cleared the wrecked cars from a former junkyard and is preparing to cap the land with dirt, as required under the environmental remediation permit from the state Department of Environmental Conservation. He is applying for DEC permits for the other sites, including Island Dock, and will be developing the land under the state’s brownfield reclamation program.

Another environmental issue is the city sewage plant, which is across the street from the Cornell Building and often stinks. Iannucci said he is talking to the city about having the plant enclosed, with a vacuum system installed to absorb the vapors, and possibly a parking area on top. Such an option would be costly, he acknowledged, but grant monies might be available to help offset the expense.

Originally from New Jersey ­ as a child he was a member of the Sea Scouts, which helped spark his maritime interests ­ Iannucci worked as an auto mechanic before serving in the Peace Corps, teaching marine engine repair in Jamaica, where he met Sonia. After attending law school in Brooklyn, he became a prosecutor. He quit in 1980 to start his own law practice and began buying up commercial and residential buildings in Brooklyn, restoring them and leasing them. “We enjoyed doing it,” Iannucci said, noting he still maintains a base in the borough. “Sonia and I have been very fortunate. Through a combination of hard work and luck, we’ve been very successful. We see this as not an opportunity to make a profit, but to make a difference.”

 

 

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