05/14/12 9:45am

There have been inquiries in the past as to how to get inside the artist lofts in the Regal Bag Building, 302 N. Water Street. Well, now is your chance, being that there are 4 spaces available for rent. The space is massive, and the views all face the Hudson River. The rent is fair, especially considering what an art space would cost in you NYC! Scenic Art Studios already rents in the building.

You can see more pictures of the space here. All inquires and showing requests must be made through realtor Chris Hanson, CHanson@HistoricNewburghHomes.com, (845) 430-8380.

Space, ranging from 1,224 to 2,068 sq/ft ($950 to $1,100 per month respectively). Studios are on the fourth floor, with service elevator and gated, secure entrance with guard.

Wouldn’t these make some magnificent gallery spaces as well? Oh the possibilities are endless!

02/02/12 11:00am

Scenic Art Studios, a scene shop that paints most of the backdrops and scenery seen in Broadway productions, had an unfortunate event in which their shop burned down in the Mill Street fire in Cornwall. They have been painting scenery for about 20 years and still use some very traditional techniques. To be able to do their work they need huge uninterrupted space as can be seen in the photo above. The backdrops (on average 30′ x 40′) are stapled to the floor to paint. Newburgh was the first city to come to mind for Scenic Art Studios, probably due to the large industrial open spaces many buildings provide! They were able to sign a lease at the Regal Bag building and are hoping to make Newburgh their permanent home, perhaps purchasing a space in the future. Also, they love the history that is in Newburgh and hope to be a part of it’s restoration!

Susan Jackson who works for Scenic Art Studios had this to say,

“The artists in these photos are the core of our crew and some have been in the business for 20+ years. So far everyone is very excited about the new space and certainly looking at the silver lining. Our floor is about to be filled with new shows (which is why the search for a building was so pressing) and we are all pushing forward. We have nicknames for all of our locations and we are calling our new shop, lovingly, the Phoenix.”

Newburgh is definitely glad to have you! See below for more amazing photos of the work done at Scenic Art Studios.

03/17/11 9:00am

It seems that Mr. Kaplan, owner of the Regal Bag building is taking a new approach to his project of developing the Regal Bag Building into condos. This Sunday, March 20th, 10-2pm at 302 North Water Street, there will be an open house at the Regal Bag building for raw open artist space. Enter North of Torches restaurant. Already the windows have been reportedly repaired.

Newburgh Steam Mills around 1891 ©Newburgh Her Institutions, Industries and Leading Citizens

Fun Facts about the Regal Bag Building from the Heritage Tour:

“Regal Bag was built in the 1830’s as Newburgh Steam Mills, manufacturing cloth. Later the building housed Coldwell Lawnmower Co., and is currently a pocketbook factory. It is listed in Ripley’s Believe It Or Not as the only building that has its main entrance on the 6th floor.”

If you have ever passed by this building then you would know that it has uninterrupted views of the Hudson River. The building is also in it’s own little section of the developing Newburgh waterfront. According to many, the arts community is really growing in Newburgh. The Railroad Playhouse is bringing theatrical arts to Newburgh from NYC. The Downing Film Center is in the process of expanding and, the Newburgh Art Supply store just moved into a bigger space. The Ann Street Gallery continues to see a rise in visitors and is a voted favorite in the Hudson Valley and, the Ritz Theater continues to bring live music to Broadway. Kaplan Hall at SUNY OCC now has a cultural affairs office presenting art in various forms. The Pop Up Gallery was a success and hopefully will be able to do similar events in the future.

Rumor has it that 60 artists were just kicked out of their artists lofts across the river. Maybe the Regal Bag building would be something to consider? If you have any artist friends, definitely spread the word!

02/14/11 11:30am

©Times Herald-Record/JEFF GOULDING

Thanks to the Newburgh Advocate’s taping of the latest Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, we got to see a quick update on the Regal Bag Building project. This project has been quiet for a while, and even had some people thinking that it was kaput. However, at the meeting, the Regal Bag Project was approved for a year extension to work out some of it’s issues. Owner, Bill Kaplan confessed to having met challenges and hard times starting the project. Even so, he anticipates starting work this year. It has been reported that the windows have already been replaced.

This project will bring over 100 new and reused housing units to the Newburgh waterfront and is supposed to add $2 million to the City of Newburgh’s tax rolls. 2011 will be an interesting year if this project can get started as well as the Newburgh Brewery that is supposed to be operating by the end of this year, as well as Ray Yannone’s waterfront home project that should be starting soon.

03/05/10 8:00am

©Times Herald-Record/JEFF GOULDING

How does an extra approximately $2 million dollars in taxes sound contributing to the city of Newburgh annually? Pretty good, right? Well, now that Bill Kaplan’s plan to turn his Regal Bag building from commercial space to residential condo’s was approved, this could become a reality sooner than you think. In the economic times we are in, it’s amazing that a project like this could be moving forward.

 

It has not been an easy road, as the blog, Newburgh Advocate, has shown. But, as the Newburgh Scene Blog mentioned, Mr. Kaplan is the poster boy for development and philanthropy in Newburgh. “He has donated millions to St. Lukes Cornwall, Mount St Mary, SUNY Orange, and other civic organizations.” In other words, Mr. Kaplan is pretty dependable in his projects.

Located at 302 N. Water Street in Newburgh, the Regal Bag Building project will add 165 housing units along the Hudson River. Kaplan is going this route after not being able to secure any commercial tenants in the building. So, when can you expect to see some construction being done? According the the Herald article, “four to six months of meetings and applications to the city Planning Board will follow before any construction would begin.”

Either way, this is good news as the project will add more money to the Newburgh economy. Local businesses will benefit, and it will add more life to a once quiet area. According to another article, “Combined with plans to build a mixture of townhouses and condominiums, and coupled with the investments he and Joseph Bonura already have made in the neighborhood, this could be the turning point that the city has looked for, the inspiration for others to help unlock all that potential that architects and urban planners see every time they look at Newburgh.” For more positive Newburgh news check out this link.