By John Jordan
Orange County’s premier wedding, catering and event venue Anthony’s Pier 9 in New Windsor is in contract to be sold to an entity that plans to convert the 70,000-square-foot facility into a motion picture production studio.
The pending sale with the unidentified buyer was announced by The Bonura Hospitality Group, which stated it expects the sale to close by June 2021. The Bonura family has owned Anthony’s Pier 9 for more than four decades.
As part of the sale, all Anthony’s Pier 9 employees will retain their jobs. Anthony’s Pier 9 customers with events thru June 13 will still take place at the venue. Events after that date are invited to migrate their events to other Bonura Hospitality facilities. If they elect not to do so, their pre-payments will be refunded in full. No financial details of the transaction were released.
Bonura Hospitality Principal Joseph Bonura Jr. said in the May 10th announcement that the pandemic was a prime reason for selling what has been a cornerstone of the family’s business since 1980.
“It has been an honor to help countless families celebrate special moments and we will continue to contribute to the Hudson Valley’s regional economy,” said Bonura Jr. “Unfortunately, the sale of the venue means that Anthony’s Pier 9 is unable to host events on-site after June 13. We apologize for the inconvenience and are in the process of notifying affected parties. We hope that we will be able to host them at one of our other locations for their memorable events.”
Bonura Hospitality Group stated that it will continue to operate its showcase facilities in the region, and will offer the Anthony’s Pier 9 customers the opportunity to move their events to other company locations. They include The Grandview in Poughkeepsie, Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel, Shadows on the Hudson in Poughkeepsie, West Hills Country Club in Middletown and a new outdoor venue on the Newburgh waterfront adjacent to Bonura’s Blu Pointe restaurant.
Michael Bonura, also a Principal in the company, will retain fond memories of Anthony’s Pier 9. “This was our parents’ first catering facility and we have been proud to carry on that legacy,” Michael Bonura said.
Orange County Partnership President and CEO Maureen Halahan, said of the pending sale, “The Bonura Hospitality Group has and will continue to be a part of the fabric of our quality of life and economic engine throughout the Hudson Valley. For decades, the Orange County Partnership has hosted major events at Anthony’s Pier 9 (and West Hills Country Club) and we will always be indebted to the Bonura family who tended to every detail making their standard that of which others aspire to. We offer our sincere congratulations and gratitude to the Bonura’s.”
Amanda Dana, Orange County’s Director of Tourism and Film, envisions numerous economic opportunities created by the new use as a film studio.
“The positive economic impact of film production is enormous, and without a doubt, provides hundreds, if not thousands, of skilled jobs locally. It also puts much needed revenue back into the local economy,” Dana said. “Orange County is a natural attractor for many large productions on account of our proximity to New York City, the New York State Film Tax Credit and because of the abundance of diverse locations to film. The Town of New Windsor has a great opportunity to embrace this industry. The repurposing of this valuable commercial property to a production studio is very timely as we are experiencing exponential growth in the film sector. We are incredibly excited to see this project come to fruition.”
The Bonura Hospitality Group also announced that it will invest $40 million into the improvement of its West Hills Country Club in Middletown. Besides improvements to its existing facilities on Golf Links Road off East Main Street, Bonura Hospitality will be breaking ground next month on a 158-unit market-rate multifamily development on the golf course property. Construction completion is expected in late 2022.
Bonura Jr. added that West Hills’ residences will be modeled on Bonura Hospitality Group’s successful Water Club apartments in Poughkeepsie.
Michael Bonura said the Bonura team is optimistic about the Hudson Valley’s future and foresees a strong rebound from the pandemic.
“We are adding 400 jobs across all of our locations,” he said. “We are grateful that The Grandview and Shadows on the Hudson remain extremely popular, the Water Club is thriving and we have a diverse portfolio that is dedicated to the quality of life in the Hudson Valley. We are honored to continue serving the region we love in new and diverse ways, while also contributing to the economy.”
