Peekskill Central Market Developer Anxious to Open
When developer and realtor Gabriel Arango first set sights on the historic building at the corner of Main Street and Nelson Avenue, across from Peekskill City Hall, he knew it was special and had tremendous potential.
The 176-year-old, three-level structure, which was built by William Nelson, who later served on the House of Representatives with Abraham Lincoln, had been abandoned for about 20 years and fallen into disrepair.
Five years ago, Arango, who already owned several buildings in downtown Peekskill, purchased the 15,200-square-foot building with a unique vision for Peekskill Central Market, including completely renovating an 1870-era theater on the third floor that can seat almost 100 people.
“It’s unique. I saw the potential to convert it into an attraction for the community,” Arango said during a recent tour of the facility where he has invested about $1.7 million. “I want to make a contribution to the progress of the city.”
“The main attraction is the location,” explained Arango, a resident of White Plains and proprietor of EZ Housing. “Many people tried to buy this place before, but they failed to fulfill the dream. I’m different. The difference is the uniqueness. Success comes with passion and determination. We take pride in what we do. It’s a labor of love.”
Besides the theater space, which Arango envisions will be heavily used for public and private events as a dinner theatre, the first and second floors will be designated for about a dozen small businesses. A beauty salon, wine seller, custom jewelry store and a café are among the businesses that have signed up to be part of Peekskill Central Market and Arango is actively interviewing to fill the remaining space with hopes of opening by the end of October.
When he first started renovating, Arango said he had 73 inquiries from prospective merchants.
“Peekskill is coming up. It’s a trendy place,” Arango said. “It will encourage anyone to move up here.”
Arango suffered a major setback on March 30, 2014 when a three-alarm fire caused about $450,000 in damages and pushed his expected completion of the project back 18 months.
“That’s life. Nothing is perfect,” Arango said. “There have been a lot of obstacles but everything has been well done. I had three offers after the fire thinking I was going to walk away.”
The Columbian-born businessman credited Peekskill’s Building Department with being supportive throughout the process and thanked Peekskill Police with their help in investigating two break-ins that have occurred.
“This city offers great opportunity for people that can prove they can do the work,” Arango said.
Anyone interested to learn more about the Peekskill Central Market can call (914) 287-0300.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
