Staten Island heroes Pete Davidson and Colin Jost have purchased a defunct Staten Island Ferry
The SNL stars bought the famous ferry with a group of investors for $280,100
Saturday Night Live cast members Colin Jost and Pete Davidson have made a joint purchase on the previously decommissioned John F. Kennedy NYC Staten Island Ferry, with the hopes of turning it into an entertainment space. The ferry only cost them $280,100, and that extra $100 was crucial.
The pair, along with a group of investors that included New York real estate agent and The Stand comedy club co-founder Paul Italia, won the vessel in a tight auction on Wednesday. When an unidentified bidder upped the auction to the price of $280,000 at the last moment, an extension was needed for Italia to submit the winning bid of $280,1000.
The group plans on restoring a piece of NYC history by renovating it and turning it into an arts and entertainment venue. The Kennedy ferry was first built in 1965, and was retired in August as the oldest boat in the city’s fleet.
Italia tells the Associated Press the project is expected to cost “millions of dollars.” First things first, the group must figure out how to move the boat in the next two weeks.
“You have a great idea and you’re working on executing it and the first step is the acquisition of the boat, and I think that that’s the story right now,” he says. “We were successful in acquiring the boat and making sure it didn’t go into the scrapyard like the last two.”
Even New York City mayor Eric Adams shared his excitement for the project on Twitter. “I love this idea,” Adams wrote. “What a great way to give an NYC icon a second life. Let us know how we can help and we’ll be there for the maiden voyage.”
Davidson is well known for his Staten Island roots, and in 2020 he starred in the film The King Of Staten Island. In recent months, he’s taken Kim Kardashian to his lovely hometown for a few, very Staten Island dates. Jost previously discussed his childhood connected to the Staten Island Ferry in his memoir A Very Punchable Face, in which he wrote about taking the ferry every day when he was in high school.