THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 9, 1994 TAG: 9410090062
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SARAH MISKIN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 129 lines
The beige diamonds on the tatty green strip of carpet between the pavement and the walkway provide the only link between the faded outside of the old ferry and the richness of the inside.
Nestled between the Berkley Bridge on the right and a wasteland of rusty cable and rotted timber on the left, the River Palace waits.
Walk up the ramp, cross the blue and white deck, pass the 9-foot-deep, 30,000-gallon swimming pool, and behold what the boat's managers hope will be Norfolk's latest, and most unusual, convention center.
First, however, they must resolve a conflict with the city over a site for the grand old lady, whom some may remember as the ferry Newport News, which plied the route from Norfolk to the Peninsula.
June LeBeau, president and operations manager of the River Palace, wants to move the ferry away from the wasteland to a new site outside Dominion Tower. But the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority, which owns the land, has rejected her proposal, suggesting she stay where she is until the venture has proven successful.
LeBeau, who has been in the convention business for 20 years, says the only thing preventing the River Palace's success is the site.
``Where we are now, one side is great and the other side is horrible,'' she said.
Staying put would mean spending more than $100,000 to clean up the site, which is offered only on a five-year lease.
``We would be improving someone else's land, which is ludicrous,'' she said. ``Also, there is space on board for 400 people, but the (parking lot) can hold only 40 cars.''
Stephen Cooper, the NRHA's assistant executive director for development operations, says there are other plans for the areas by Dominion Tower that include river-boat gambling, and LeBeau was seeking a 10-year lease.
But LeBeau says gambling is two to three years off, and she has told the city that the River Palace would move to make way.
``We have asked only that they reimburse us for any improvements we have made,'' she said.
Cooper said such financial implications are among the reasons the proposal is not acceptable. But better terms for the city might make relocation possible, he said.
Shurl Montgomery, assistant city manager, added some other considerations: ``The boat has no engine and has to be towed and pushed into position. What of insurance coverage, sewage discharge, is it going to be permanent? I could go on and on.''
Next to Dominion Tower is the only place Le Beau can see the boat in Norfolk.
``Portsmouth would be an option,'' she said. ``They would welcome us, but we would prefer staying here with all the improvements to downtown. It is a prime time to move in.''
She believes people are looking for somewhere ``different'' to hold business conventions, weddings, casino nights, karaoke evenings.
Different the River Palace certainly is. Miami businessman Sam Sardinia and his then-wife Rita bought the old Newport News in 1980 for $500,000 after finding it in a boat yard in Groton, Conn. Built in 1923, the boat enjoyed its heyday in the 1950s, ferrying up to 48 cars and 400 passengers between Norfolk and the Peninsula before being retired in 1957 when the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel opened.
After relocating the ferry to Norfolk, the Sardinias began a $2.5 million transformation of the ferry into the S.S. Sardinia.
Having sat empty for seven years before LeBeau began refurbishing it in March, the renamed River Palace still needs work. LeBeau has spent $50,000 already, and is reluctant to spend another $100,000 to finish the job until the boat's future is certain.
Enough of the splendor remains to get a picture of what the grand old lady could be.
Nightclub patrons sitting in the green and white ambience cast by the neon palm tree and ``Play it again, Sam'' sign can watch dancers on the brass dance floor as they boogie to tunes thumped out on the white grand piano.
Those tired of watching the dancing can sit in the 50-seat theater to catch a movie on the 10-foot screen before retiring to one of the four bedrooms on this deck. They can be converted by day into meeting rooms for business conventions.
Large burgundy carpet squares atop beige tiles are picked up and reflected in the peach mirror tiles of the dining room, with its glass table and huge crystal chandelier.
The main salon, which now offers an 180-degree view of the Berkley Bridge to the right and an overgrown lot, a barge crane, floating wooden pallets and a twisted tangle of rusted cable and thick rope to the left, assaults the senses with its plushness.
The burgundy, mauve and gray color scheme is repeated throughout the large area, brought together in a swirl on the soft lounge furniture that curves to follow the room. The patterns are reflected in the mirrored-tile-ceiling centerpiece, each tile separated by mauve velvet padding, and three enormous $10,000 crystal chandeliers, sparkling like fairy lights.
Up the mauve and burgundy carpeted spiral staircase (``Can't you just see the bride coming down that staircase, throwing the bouquet?'' asks LeBeau) is the huge master bedroom, decorated in a cool ivory color scheme.
The king-size bed has floor-to-ceiling drapes that discreetly conceal speakers. The stained glass panel from the head board is missing but newlyweds can still see themselves reflected in the chandelier and the mirror-tile ceiling above the bed.
The remainder of the upper deck has two offices and three more bedrooms that LeBeau says will not be refurbished until the boat starts making money.
``I would not be wasting my time if I did not think it was worth it,'' she said.
``This area is right for something like this.'' A function LeBeau organized for Harborfest officials on June 3 has resulted in two to three calls a day from people interested in using the River Palace. LeBeau says she also had at least 25 weddings and other functions booked for this month for which she has had to find other venues because the ferry did not have a license.
If she cannot get permission to move where she wants, LeBeau says, the boat will be moved out of the area.
``I don't want to give up because Portsmouth has expressed an interest,'' she said. ``I am looking into that option, as they don't have a lot of meeting space over there.
``But I want to stay here, right here.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
CHRISTOPHER REDDICK/Staff
Plans to transform the River Palace from a ferry to a nightclub and
convention center await the resolution of a conflict between its
managers and the city of Norfolk over a site to drop anchor.
Photo
CHRISTOPHER REDDICK/Staff
The mauve and burgundy spiral staircase inside the main salon of the
River Palace leads to the master bedroom on the second level. The
boat's manager says that a Harborfest function brings in several
calls a day from people interested in using the boat.
by CNB