Forged in fire.
For a long time, Fire Island Pines, the historic gay community situated on the sting of the barrier island, has been a reliable haven for gay men who hop on a ferry to set free every summer.
But as one other sweltering season of debauchery kicks off, the community is currently being shaken up just like the strong cups of boozy Pines Punch typically sipped there.
Enter Tryst Hospitality and its gregarious tycoon Tristan Schukraft, who inked a contract last 12 months to amass 75% of the fabled Fire Island Pines industrial district — a fancy that has exchanged hands greater than just a few times because it got here into being within the late Fifties.
“I’ve never felt more excitement and optimism firstly of the brand new season as I feel this 12 months,” Henry Robin, the President of the Fire Island Property Owners Association, told The Post. “We’re all optimistic concerning the improvements that he’s making.”
“It’s really exciting for what could be the single most famous gay community on the earth,” said longtime homeowner Andrew Kirtzman, a political consultant and journalist who previously co-owned the business district from 2000 to 2015.
Said Kirtzman, “Tristan seems to have his heart in the correct place and he has the means to make upgrades.”
For the brand new ownership, it was a cool $17 million deal for the beating heart of the bustling seasonal community that accounts for the one place besides the beach for the local masses to convene, including multiple bars, clubs, a gym and a storied hotel to be generally known as the Tryst — built because the Botel and still referred to by its original name by many.
“Once I came upon it was on the market, I used to be immediately interested,” Schukraft told The Post of the gargantuan purchase which led the Wall Street Journal to dub him “The Man Who Bought Fire Island.”
Out west, Schukraft previously took over the reins of the historic Los Angeles gay bar the Abbey, and in April, he opened the Tryst Puerto Vallarta, a luxury hotel which had a starry opening bash attended by the likes of Jennifer Coolidge and Demi Lovato.
Nonetheless, Schukraft confesses of what he calls his Pines passion project: “At the top of the day, these usually are not great investments.”
“Even buying the Abbey wasn’t a terrific investment. People would say: ‘Oh, the land is so invaluable underneath the Abbey!’ But what am I going to do, sell it and construct condos? I’ll never have the ability to do this. “
A centerpiece of his myriad of plans for a revamped Fire Island Pines include renovating the Botel constructing, which has been gutted and can turn right into a sleek boutique.
“Once I first went there, I met the Fire Marshal and joked, ‘Hey, if a hearth breaks out, no rush,’” he says of the dilapidated structure, which formerly had shared bathrooms.
Consequently, the continued updates are the talk of the island.
“They’re profiting from the shelled-out carcass of it because it undergoes renovation,” identified Jon Barrett, an editor based in Brooklyn who has a house in Fire Island.
“I loved recently seeing the go-go boys dancing in what stays of the cinder-blocked window frames.”
“Once we first heard concerning the recent ownership last 12 months, it was a mixture of pleasure for fresh blood, fresh ideas and a fresh tackle all the things,” said Naoum Naoumov, a Brooklyn tech employee who has a house within the Pines.
Schukraft can also be planning on opening a spa and a revamp of the Blue Whale, the historic nightspot that helped launch a nationwide LGBTQ phenomenon back in 1966 — the Tea Dance, a sunset party after a busy day on the beach.
“After this season, we’re going to tear it down and rebuild it to 2 levels,” Schukraft says, noting they plan to preserve its tile floor, which depicts the titular mammal in its name.
Meanwhile, the Pavilion, one other bar and club on the island which embodies a powerful history, can also be set for a makeover.
Schukraft has plans to tear it down and re-create the space because it originally looked before it was demolished in 2006.
Back on the Home Association, Robin notes that there’s been an overall “generational shift” on the island.
“During the last five years, a 3rd of our homes have modified ownership,” he says of an influx of younger full-time residents, little doubt influenced by the pandemic-influenced work-from-home culture.
“I’m excited that the Pines is getting some love,” said Ivan Valladares, a 30-year-old communications specialist who has been visiting the world since 2018.
“The community is ever-changing — like its shoreline,” he mused, alluding to a plight of beach erosion the US Army Corps of Engineers has been tackling.
“Long Island’s iconic beaches are a treasured natural resource and I’m doing all the things in my power to guard them for the subsequent generation,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said on the time, with the sight of massive equipment a fixture on the shore as of late.
Nonetheless, Naoumov notes: “At the identical time, there’s a bit of little bit of concern as that is affecting the vast majority of the town and there’s numerous power that goes with that, with changes to the culture and the community. It could possibly affect things drastically.”
And a few worry concerning the ever-increasing cost of having fun with an already-expensive island.
Said Naoumov: “With numerous big investment, the owner might be going to need to recoup those prices.”
Schukraft, meanwhile, says he plans to make the Pines more accessible to all — Fire Island as a complete famously boasts limited accommodations, beyond the private homes that cluster along its boardwalks.
“I at all times hear so many individuals need to go but have never been, because if you happen to’re not a part of a clique otherwise you don’t have the connections, it’s difficult to search out a house. So having the hotel will really open up Fire Island to so many more people.”
Zak Stone, owner of the management company Saint One, has been coming to Fire Island since 2019 and is “excited to see the taste level slowly improve in relation to music and nightlife.”
“The brand new ownership within the Pines has the potential to construct on this progress by curating more diverse talent.”
Overall, Schukraft points to the world’s wealthy history for his passion for the world, from its ’50s-era infancy, the wild ’70s club days, to the community becoming a haven in the course of the scourge of the AIDS crisis within the ’80s and ’90s.
“When people couldn’t get a health care provider in the town, they got here to the Pines Clinic, so it’s been a crucial community in so some ways throughout the generations.”
As Naoumov stated: “Overall individuals are cautious, but things are looking good.”
Forged in fire.
For a long time, Fire Island Pines, the historic gay community situated on the sting of the barrier island, has been a reliable haven for gay men who hop on a ferry to set free every summer.
But as one other sweltering season of debauchery kicks off, the community is currently being shaken up just like the strong cups of boozy Pines Punch typically sipped there.
Enter Tryst Hospitality and its gregarious tycoon Tristan Schukraft, who inked a contract last 12 months to amass 75% of the fabled Fire Island Pines industrial district — a fancy that has exchanged hands greater than just a few times because it got here into being within the late Fifties.
“I’ve never felt more excitement and optimism firstly of the brand new season as I feel this 12 months,” Henry Robin, the President of the Fire Island Property Owners Association, told The Post. “We’re all optimistic concerning the improvements that he’s making.”
“It’s really exciting for what could be the single most famous gay community on the earth,” said longtime homeowner Andrew Kirtzman, a political consultant and journalist who previously co-owned the business district from 2000 to 2015.
Said Kirtzman, “Tristan seems to have his heart in the correct place and he has the means to make upgrades.”
For the brand new ownership, it was a cool $17 million deal for the beating heart of the bustling seasonal community that accounts for the one place besides the beach for the local masses to convene, including multiple bars, clubs, a gym and a storied hotel to be generally known as the Tryst — built because the Botel and still referred to by its original name by many.
“Once I came upon it was on the market, I used to be immediately interested,” Schukraft told The Post of the gargantuan purchase which led the Wall Street Journal to dub him “The Man Who Bought Fire Island.”
Out west, Schukraft previously took over the reins of the historic Los Angeles gay bar the Abbey, and in April, he opened the Tryst Puerto Vallarta, a luxury hotel which had a starry opening bash attended by the likes of Jennifer Coolidge and Demi Lovato.
Nonetheless, Schukraft confesses of what he calls his Pines passion project: “At the top of the day, these usually are not great investments.”
“Even buying the Abbey wasn’t a terrific investment. People would say: ‘Oh, the land is so invaluable underneath the Abbey!’ But what am I going to do, sell it and construct condos? I’ll never have the ability to do this. “
A centerpiece of his myriad of plans for a revamped Fire Island Pines include renovating the Botel constructing, which has been gutted and can turn right into a sleek boutique.
“Once I first went there, I met the Fire Marshal and joked, ‘Hey, if a hearth breaks out, no rush,’” he says of the dilapidated structure, which formerly had shared bathrooms.
Consequently, the continued updates are the talk of the island.
“They’re profiting from the shelled-out carcass of it because it undergoes renovation,” identified Jon Barrett, an editor based in Brooklyn who has a house in Fire Island.
“I loved recently seeing the go-go boys dancing in what stays of the cinder-blocked window frames.”
“Once we first heard concerning the recent ownership last 12 months, it was a mixture of pleasure for fresh blood, fresh ideas and a fresh tackle all the things,” said Naoum Naoumov, a Brooklyn tech employee who has a house within the Pines.
Schukraft can also be planning on opening a spa and a revamp of the Blue Whale, the historic nightspot that helped launch a nationwide LGBTQ phenomenon back in 1966 — the Tea Dance, a sunset party after a busy day on the beach.
“After this season, we’re going to tear it down and rebuild it to 2 levels,” Schukraft says, noting they plan to preserve its tile floor, which depicts the titular mammal in its name.
Meanwhile, the Pavilion, one other bar and club on the island which embodies a powerful history, can also be set for a makeover.
Schukraft has plans to tear it down and re-create the space because it originally looked before it was demolished in 2006.
Back on the Home Association, Robin notes that there’s been an overall “generational shift” on the island.
“During the last five years, a 3rd of our homes have modified ownership,” he says of an influx of younger full-time residents, little doubt influenced by the pandemic-influenced work-from-home culture.
“I’m excited that the Pines is getting some love,” said Ivan Valladares, a 30-year-old communications specialist who has been visiting the world since 2018.
“The community is ever-changing — like its shoreline,” he mused, alluding to a plight of beach erosion the US Army Corps of Engineers has been tackling.
“Long Island’s iconic beaches are a treasured natural resource and I’m doing all the things in my power to guard them for the subsequent generation,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said on the time, with the sight of massive equipment a fixture on the shore as of late.
Nonetheless, Naoumov notes: “At the identical time, there’s a bit of little bit of concern as that is affecting the vast majority of the town and there’s numerous power that goes with that, with changes to the culture and the community. It could possibly affect things drastically.”
And a few worry concerning the ever-increasing cost of having fun with an already-expensive island.
Said Naoumov: “With numerous big investment, the owner might be going to need to recoup those prices.”
Schukraft, meanwhile, says he plans to make the Pines more accessible to all — Fire Island as a complete famously boasts limited accommodations, beyond the private homes that cluster along its boardwalks.
“I at all times hear so many individuals need to go but have never been, because if you happen to’re not a part of a clique otherwise you don’t have the connections, it’s difficult to search out a house. So having the hotel will really open up Fire Island to so many more people.”
Zak Stone, owner of the management company Saint One, has been coming to Fire Island since 2019 and is “excited to see the taste level slowly improve in relation to music and nightlife.”
“The brand new ownership within the Pines has the potential to construct on this progress by curating more diverse talent.”
Overall, Schukraft points to the world’s wealthy history for his passion for the world, from its ’50s-era infancy, the wild ’70s club days, to the community becoming a haven in the course of the scourge of the AIDS crisis within the ’80s and ’90s.
“When people couldn’t get a health care provider in the town, they got here to the Pines Clinic, so it’s been a crucial community in so some ways throughout the generations.”
As Naoumov stated: “Overall individuals are cautious, but things are looking good.”
