New life for old Woolworth’s

A property at 311 Wall St. in Kingston that used to be a Woolworth’s store would be transformed into a retail and event space under a plan that received approval from the Kingston Panning Board.

The entity 311 Wall Street LLC, applied to revitalize and improve a 17,704-square-foot building that at one time housed Woolworth’s. The plan is to create two retail spaces of approximately 3,000 square feet each with a flexible event space of approximately 12,462 square feet in the rear of the building. The special event space would have access from Wall Street in the front and Crown Street in the rear.

The Wall Street façade, which once sported the Woolworth’s name will be retained and cleaned. Extensive internal renovations are planned including the installation of a sprinkler system. Overhead doors would be added in the rear. Other improvements include new landscaping, a new parking layout, new lighting and upgrades to ensure compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act.

The developer said that typical uses of the flexible special event space include an art gallery, performance art, catered culinary events, sport events for youth and adults, antique and collectible shows, educational seminars, yoga and exercise. The developer said the event space would be available seven days a week and that events would be scheduled to end by 11:00 p.m.

This not the first time a plan has been developed to revitalize the former Woolworth”™s building. In 2016, a Katonah-based entity, 311 Partners, sought to bring in BBG Ventures, a food retail and manufacturing company, to create what it described as a tourist destination for Hudson Valley food and beverages in the building. It sought the support of the Ulster County Industrial Development Agency for the development project following the purchase of the building for $475,000 in 2015. The current developer, 311 Wall Street LLC, purchased the property for $2.25 million in 2018, according to Ulster County property records.