Developers have big changes planned for Middletown.
A $12 million sale of the Atlantic Beach Club in Middletown is expected to close Jan. 1 and marks the end of a long history of public beach access.
“We have the rights to the beach,” said Atlantic Beach Club General Manager Elaine Holder, about the popular volleyball spot directly in front of the restaurant. “The new owners have confirmed they will not continue that access.”
The sale will end a 24-year run for owners Peter and Harry Kyriakedes, but has opened doors for reinvestment. The Kyriakedes brothers, who own a number of local hotels and restaurants, most recently agreed to buy a 71-acre farm on West Main Road in Middletown, across from Forest Avenue. Their plans for the land have not been disclosed.
They also gained approval for a 141-room hotel and resort on the site of the former Sea View Inn on Aquidneck Avenue. The existing inn has been demolished and construction began this week on the hotel, which will be named Atlantic Resort Newport.
“A lot of customers are really sad,” said Holder. “There is no other venue in Newport like this, where you can party on the beach.” Holder said for the Kyriakedes brothers, the opportunity is bittersweet.
The brothers hope to relocate the restaurant to their new location.
“The chefs are coming up with us, the sales team, most of the staff,” said Holder. The menu, including the pricing and the popular Sunday brunch, will continue at the new location, which has sweeping water views of the Atlantic Ocean.
“They weren’t looking to sell, but it’s a good opportunity. It was time,” Holder said.
The new resort is slated to open in the spring and is accepting reservations beginning September 2016. “We have already booked about a dozen weddings,” said Holder. “There aren’t a lot of affordable options for weddings in Newport and the view is beautiful up there.”
As for the ABC, Jim Apteker, president of the event venue company Longwoods, which also owns Belle Mer on Goat Island, purchased the property to convert into a luxury wedding venue. Apteker will be just the third owner since Johnny’s first opened its doors in the 1920s. It will be the first time the location has not been a restaurant.
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