By Cathy DeDe, Chronicle Managing Editor
Last Friday Sean and Melissa Quirk debuted The Anchor, their new five-unit waterfront condominum at the former King Neptune’s Lounge in the center of Lake George Village. Monday they received the go-ahead from the State Attorney General: The condos are on the market.
“We’re going live,” Mr. Quirk told The Chronicle, adding, “Oh yes,” they have potential buyers at the ready.
The nightspot is nearly unrecognizable, reincarnated as high-end condos from just under 1,200 to 2,190 square feet with asking prices from $1.5-million to $2.3-million — plus a monthly homeowners association fee of just over $800 to cover utilities, maintenance, water and sewer and more.
A sixth commercial unit on the Lake George Waterfront Walkway is the business office for the Quirks’ LG Boat Rentals company.
The condos are one- to three bedrooms, with private decks overlooking the lake, high ceilinged kitchen-great rooms with oversize stone gas fireplaces, and bathrooms have tile showers.
All include parking and the opportunity to rent 33-foot dock space adjacent to the condos. The largest, Unit C, comes with a one-car attached garage. Unit A has a separate entrance and second-level “loft” game room with wet bar.
Mr. Quirk tells The Chronicle The Anchor was about a $3 million project.
“Won’t last long” and “Unique opportunity for short-term rentals,” tout the listing materials from Davies-Davies Associates Real Estate.
“There’s nothing else like it,” one open house attendee told The Chronicle. “This is the future of Lake George.”
Mr. and Mrs. Quirk separately noted the Village lifestyle, close to the water and “the action.” Some windows look directly onto the dining decks at Christie’s on the Lake, next door.
“It won’t be for everyone,” Mr. Quirk offers. He said they built the condos to minimize outside noise.
They had listed King Neptunes and the attached Village Mall for sale asking $11.5 million in January 2022, “but it didn’t sell,” Mr. Quirk says.
By September 2022 they’d shifted gears fully. They considered turning Neptune’s into a $1,000-a night boutique hotel, then settled on owner-occupied condos.
The building started life in the 1940s as King Neptune’s Hotel, Mr. Quirk told the small gathering at Friday’s open house and ribbon cutting. It was a horseshoe-shaped structure facing the water, with a tree growing in the center courtyard and a small restaurant for guests.
The original rooflines are still visible, he noted.
Sean’s father Jim Quirk purchased the hotel property in 1994, focusing on the nightclub and entertainment side. The business grew with outdoor decks, multiple barrooms and entertainment space. In 1999, Sean joined the business. In 2013 he and wife Melissa purchased it.
Neptune’s
“Around 2019 I started discussing, what can we do beyond the restaurant and entertainment, something less labor intensive and time consuming for us,” Mr. Quirk said. “Then 2020 happened” — the pandemic. “It gave me a lot of time to kind of ponder what we can do.”
He said he brought his ideas to AJA architects Andy Allison and Sarah Haynes, who worked out designs.
Then-Village Trustee, now-Mayor Ray Perry; then-Mayor Bob Blais; and zoning officer Dan Barusch “paved the way to get where we wanted to go.”
A chance meeting with Fort William Henry CEO Kathy Muncil connected Mr. Quirk to BBL Companies Construction Service, “Frank Emmer and Dylan Wolf, great group of guys,” working at the time on the Fort’s new Carriage House project.
Ready to go on Neptune’s in early summer 2023, they held construction until September, post-season, rather than disrupt nearby businesses, Mr. Quirk said.
He said the project was completed on May 15, two days ahead of schedule despite numerous challenges of renovating an aged building.
The open house and sales began when the docks were finished, Mr. Quirk said.
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