The Sanctuary Event Space and owner Frank (Turtle) Raffaele were featured in this May 20 NY Times article:
… With a leafy outdoor dining space that offers a plum view of Manhattans skyline and an Instagrammable concrete pier that juts out into the East River, the Sanctuary has since become an unlikely matrimonial hot spot. Its pitch is that it is a destination wedding within city limits, reachable via a scenic tram ride from Midtown for the cost of a MetroCard swipe….
According to the Twitterverse
For Sunday NYT, an unlikely Styles tale set on Roosevelt Island.
Alex Vadukul (@AlexVadukul) May 20, 2023
My story about the Sanctuary, a new wedding venue on the island that has become a hot spot. But change doesnt always sit well with the small waterfront community https://t.co/q0OrrNv4w0
@AlexVadukul gets the best quote award:
Sarah Bahr (@smbahr14) May 21, 2023
I once lived in Manhattan, and unless you died and began to smell, no one would even notice you were dead, Ms. Berdy said. Here, its not like that. We know our neighbors. Its like a small town.” https://t.co/FPKl9l2C40
Th e NY Times adds:
… With a partner, Alfonso Biondi, Mr. Raffaele initially opened the Sanctuary as a beer garden and speakeasy, but it didnt take off. After he
hosted a wedding bash for a young local couple, however, he reimagined his
venues concept. The Sanctuary is now booked almost daily, Mr. Raffaele said,
and he has inquiries as far out as 2026….Somehow, weve become this wedding hot spot, and its due to the islands mystique, he said….
Click here for the full NY Times article.
Follow along on this June 10, 2021 opening day tour of The Sanctuary with co-owner Alphonse Biondi.
More info on The Sanctuary at their web site.
UPDATE 5/23 – Curbed reports on how The Sanctuary got the cats and raccoons to move out.
.@cliomiso spoke with the co-owner of The Sanctuary, a former church on Roosevelt Islands north end that dates back to the 1920s, who oversaw the renovation, to talk about how he turned the space into one where only humans are allowed inside https://t.co/50jz28Ok0T
Curbed (@Curbed) May 23, 2023