Inside Diamond Mills hotel and restaurant

An upscale restaurant

As for The Tavern restaurant, which he acknowledged is “riskier” given the abundance of fine eateries in the area, Struzzieri said it’s the kind of place locals would patronize during a “special night out.”

Indeed, prices are on the high side, with appetizers going for $8 to $11, fish and meat entrees ranging from $19 to $36, and a bacon and avocado burger with fries priced at $15. (Small portions of homemade pasta are available for $10.)

Executive chef Giovanni Napoli, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America who used to work at the Waldorf Astoria, is serving cuisine with an artisanal touch, emphasizing local ingredients when in season. The current menu includes a charcuterie board, various flatbreads—one item is cooked with sausage, feta cheese, and arugula—and a comprehensive selection of meat, poultry, and fish entrees, as well as vegetarian dishes.

Struzzieri said 40 employees just completed training in the food and beverage department. The positions vary from servers who depend mostly on tips to a handful of jobs with six-figure salaries. Almost all of the employees are from Ulster County.

Design inspiration

The massive porte cochere entrance of the conference center hints at the luxurious grandiosity of the interior. All the rooms have private balconies overlooking the waterfall over the Cantine Dam, which used to power the mill here. For beds, there’s a single king or two queens. The hotel has two duplex suites. The conference center has 3,000 feet of balcony space and links to the restaurant balcony, equipped with fire pits.

The brick-and-stone complex appears almost fortress-like from the street. “Our goal was to replicate the old mill, which was built in pieces,” said Struzzieri. “As you go up the hill, it becomes more modern.”

Architect Michael McCormack, of Poughkeepsie-based firm Liscum McCormack Van Voorhis LLP, which designed many of the buildings at Marist College as well as hotels elsewhere in the state, said he researched the old mill and incorporated elements of Saugerties’ traditional architecture into the design, such as arched windows.

More specifically, “the clerestory garret in the lobby area of the conference center echoes the clerestory windows of another mill building around the corner,” said McCormack. The low brick gable, stone foundation, and large wooden doors of restaurant and conference building, which is the first view motorists glimpse after crossing the bridge, is clearly inspired by the old mill. In addition, “the stone and brick mix is something inherent to Saugerties, including the lighthouse,” he said.

McCormack added that by breaking the complex into two buildings, the lower one with a curved wall, large porte cochere, angled façade, and large second-story windows and the upper one embellished by three stone-faced gables, including a tower at one end, his intent was to suggest buildings added onto and evolved over time, as was the case of the mill. “It’s a transition,” he said. “The angles of the building also take advantage of the waterfall and creek bed.”

The industrial theme is echoed in the interior, where it mingles with European influences—especially in the grand conference center entrance, a soaring atrium with clerestory windows, imposing staircase with decorative iron balustrade, and lights hung from iron orbs suspended from the ceiling.

“Most people are scaling down public spaces because of the cost, but we wanted this to be a very grand, generous space,” said interior designer Gillian Viola of Ocala, Florida, who has done other work for Struzzieri and formerly lived in Dutchess County. “When you walk into the space you’re kind of blown away by how it feels compared to the outside, where that curving wall suggests a modern building. Every bride sees herself on that staircase. It’s the ultimate photo opportunity.”