On March 12, four months after the November 14, 2011, night-time fire that devastated the downtown Fire Island Pines commercial district, columnist Michael Musto wrote, in a Village Voice blog, that FIP Ventures—which consists of Matthew Blesso, Andrew Kirtzman, and Seth Weissman, owners of the Fire Island Pines Pavilion dance club, which burned to the ground, and of the Blue Whale and Hotel Ciel, which were, fortunately, untouched by the fire—was trying to sell the property, including the Pavilion lot—as is, with no structure on it, Musto implied, quoting Marketlarge.com as pointing out, “As of today, it remains a plot of sand.”
Arriving on Fire Island two months later, one could see work on the neighboring La Fountaine/Sip’n’Twirl, or Danikki, building proceeding apace, and plans for reopening it in time for the Fourth of July seemed a realistic possibility. Next door, what was once the Pavilion, however, was still indeed “a plot of sand.”
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photo courtesy of Edelman.com
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Andrew Kirtzman
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Yet in January, Kirtzman had optimistically announced on Facebook, “A new entertainment complex will replace the Pavilion dance club, a gay landmark in Fire Island Pines that was destroyed in a fire last year.”
On May 26, during Memorial Day Weekend, a New York Times article about the Pavilion, headlined, “A Nightclub on Fire Island, Destroyed by Fire, Is on Track for a Rebirth,” appeared. Writer Robin Finn cited plans for a 2013 reopening, with development by FIP Ventures’ Blesso and Diller Scofidio + Renfro’s Charles Renfro, and designs by HWKN, the architectural firm located at 281 Fifth Avenue, in Manhattan.
I
visited
thepinesfireisland.com and
hwkn.com websites, and have now heard from Kirtzman and FIP Ventures’ publicist, LVM Group’s Jeannette Boccini, and have learned that plans, described as “dramatic and far-reaching” for the “legendary … dance club,” are, in fact, in progress, as the Times article indicated.
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photo courtesy of Edelman.com
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Matthew Blesso
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With its prime Pines Harbor location making it a “gateway” to the community, and a welcoming sight for an estimated 800,000 summer visitors, arriving via Sayville Ferry Service ferry, the new Pavilion, as Blesso describes it, “will be in context with other Pines architecture. It will be made of wood and be modern and casual, yet bold and iconic. It is the first thing visitors see when getting off the ferry, and we’ve envisioned it to be the heart of the Pines community.”
Matthias Hollwich, founder, with Marc Kushner, of HWKN, says, “We designed the new Pavilion around the community and experiences at Fire Island. The building forms intimate public spaces out of a single volume.” He compares its design, as a Great South Bay-side, island structure, to “carved and rutted pieces of driftwood washed ashore by the sea.”
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photo courtesy of hwkn.com
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Further tantalizing details about the building-to-be, provided by HWKN, are, “Two stories of outdoor terrace make it a perfect place for an afternoon drink. The design creates three-dimensional experience that virtually stretches the public zone of the boardwalk up into the building’s façade. Benches, wide staircases, and storefronts activate the base of the Pavilion and the entrance forms a set of bleachers that act as a viewing platform, stage, wedding chapel and extended dance floor. A new welcome bar on the first floor, the high-tea terrace and the Pavilion club are all connected by an internal loop of stairs.” You can almost feel the bay breezes and smell the salt air!
The Town of Brookhaven, which governs Fire Island, approved permits for the building in February, after a hearing on January 25, and once further permits are granted, construction on the proud new Pavilion will begin.
