Back in 1996, Robert Chiulli bought a diamond in the rough ”“ a 19th-century textile mill sitting dormant in Beacon for dozens of years. Chiulli is now in the process of polishing the rundown property to become another jewel in Hudson River city”™s growing crown.
The Fishkill Creek development is a first in the Hudson Valley for Yonkers-born Chiulli, who spent several years successfully developing and building commercial and residential properties in Westchester and New York City.
“When I first bought the mill, Beacon was a place people avoided, but I had a good feeling about it,” Chiulli said. “Originally, I purchased it to create commercial space. But when  I saw Beacon”™s  growing artists”™ community and with the city”™s  plans to revitalize itself  really starting to gel, I realized the property could offer more. I had already decided to build a storage facility, since that was needed. I went back to the city planners and asked for a zoning change to renovate the mill,  not just for commercial use, but to add living space.”
That approval, along with Empire Zone status, brought Chiulli”™s project into full swing. His developer”™s instinct paid off. And he is grateful to Rhinebeck Savings Bank for its faith in his foresight ”“ aided by his proven track record ”“ when it lent him the money to purchase the 200,000-plus-square-foot property more than a decade ago. Chiulli guesstimates that, to date, more than $1.4  million has been invested in restoration of  the mill buildings ”“ not including what he paid for the property, which was not disclosed.
The old mill”™s former management building is now Beacon Storage, with 300 climate-controlled units. Its ground floor entry is where Chiulli now has his own office. “I”™ve probably spent seven days a week here for more than a year,” he said, adding good-naturedly: “I”™m practically living in the office ”“ with more to come, I”™m sure.”
 Rather than ripping down and re-doing the storage facility”™s   original entry, Chiulli opted to keep the  1,600-square-foot foyer intact, right down to the iron shutters on the inside, not on the outside, of the windows.  “They weren”™t built to keep out the weather,” said Chiulli. “They were put up to keep workers out if things got rough.  The owners wanted to make sure they had a safe place to go if they had to announce a big layoff.  If these walls could talk, they”™d have plenty of tales to tell.”
With Beacon Storage up and running, and a few other commercial tenants on board, Chiulli turned his attention to the two large factory buildings slated to become the live/work lofts he proposed to the city. The cavernous spaces once teemed with more than 2,000 workers in the factory”™s heyday. Â
Its interior brick walls were sandblasted with baking powder, to remove dozens of layers of paint accumulated over time. “Since we are building living space, baking powder is environmentally friendly, but it”™s no easy task getting decades of paint off brick,” said Chiulli. “Eventually, we were able to clean it off without damaging a single block or damaging any of the original mortar either inside or outside the building ”“ a real testament to the quality of workmanship the laborers put into this factory when it was built.”
The three-story building where the first 12 live/work lofts are currently under construction will offer approximately 1,700 to 1,800 square feet of space in each unit. The market-rate rentals will offer new kitchens and baths; Chiulli opted to stick with the building”™s original maple flooring (sanded and finished) and the cleaned brick walls exposed. “That”™s the look people want. It”™s nice to be able to provide it,” said Chiulli. New 12-foot-high windows  span the exterior walls allowing  light to stream into the loft area.
While workmen are busy finishing the first building, scheduled to be ready for occupancy by mid-January, Chiulli is planning an additional thirty work/live lofts in the factory”™s second building. “This building is a bit more challenging,” said Chiulli during the walk-through. “When you begin to renovate an old structure, you never know what you are going to find. I needed the entire roof replaced in this one.  We were able save the beams that held  up the original roof,  and I hope to re-use them in some other way on the property.”Â
How about going “green” on this project?
“Not really practical in this situation,” answered Chiulli. “The new heating and cooling technology is cost-effective and easy to accomplish in new construction, but in this type of renovation, it isn”™t economical. We are using energy-saving technology wherever possible; all the appliances and lighting will be environmentally friendly, and the units will have forced air heating and cooling.”
Chiulli is planning extensive landscaping outside of the property ”“ walkways and gardens with nooks and crannies with benches, tables and a barbeque area for tenants to enjoy will replace the crumbling concrete.
The mill”™s location is practical, too, added the developer: “The bus stops right on the corner, and residents can go into town, down to the waterfront just to take a walk or catch the train. I know this is going to be a desirable place to live and work and will be a terrific addition to the community. Who needs Manhattan? There”™s more to offer here in the Hudson Valley.”
Chiulli bought a home in Fishkill two years ago and has become a full-time resident of Dutchess County. “I love visiting New York City, but it”™s just too crowded,” he said. “It”™s great to come home and enjoy the feeling of open space and having room to breathe. More and more people coming here are coming for the same reason I did: the quality of life the Hudson Valley has to offer.”
While every developer hopes to garner a profit from an investment, Chiulli says it”™s not all about money. “It”™s wonderful to take a place like this and turn it into something that will add beauty and value to a community. It”™s a great feeling.”
