Pete Davidson and Colin Jost, comics on Saturday Night Live have teamed up with Paul Italia, comedy club owner, to buy the decommissioned ferry, the John F. Kennedy. This Staten Island boat was bought for $280,100 and will be transformed into the hottest club in New York.
The ferry is a 277-footer that was decommissioned after shuttling commuters between 1965 and 2021 between Staten Island and Manhattan.
Colin Jost’s partner in the project, Italia said the boat was iconic, and they teamed up to salvage it and do something distinctive with it. Italia is the co-owner of the comedy club and restaurant, The Stand. He said that it will cost millions to transform the 2,109-ton boat. It will be sometime before that happens, he said.
Colin Jost’s Partner Said It Will Be Months Before The Ferry Is Ready For Its New Role
Italia said that it was still in its early stages. He said that it was a great initiative and he, Colin Jost, and Davidson were working on the execution part of the project. Getting the boat was only the first step of the project.
Both Davidson and Colin Jost are from Staten Island. They have often joked about their only transport mode to the city.
The ferry is named after America’s 35th President. It was the fleet’s oldest ferry before it was taken out of service in August 2021.
The present owners get 10 days in which to secure a berthing place in the dock. Italia said that they were working on it.
Colin Jost and his partners bought the boat after it was put up for auction by NYC’s Dept. of Citywide Administrative Services. They have to obtain clearance from other departments of New York before it can be converted to a floating club.
They have the support of the Mayor of NYC. Eric Adams tweeted that it was a great initiative to give the iconic ferry a second chance. He also professed his help and promised to be present for its maiden voyage in a new role.
