Where do you hear it first? GMG, Natch!
Beach Front Gloucester Commercial LLC, a limited liability corporation formed for the purpose of acquiring the Bird’s Eye property located at 47-61 Commercial Street along with 10 Beach Court in Gloucester, Massachusetts, has entered into a Purchase and Sales agreement to acquire these properties. Sheree DeLorenzo, owner-operator of Cruiseport Gloucester LLC is the lead project manager for the Bird’s Eye project.
“Our intentions for the property are in keeping with mixed use along Gloucester’s working waterfront. We have no intentions of condos at this site. However, this location is ideal for a hotel, restaurant and conference / function facility,” said DeLorenzo.
“We have shown with Cruiseport that it is possible to have successful mixed use projects that contribute jobs and revenue to the city,” continued DeLorenzo.
Cruiseport Gloucester LLC currently consists of a function hall, restaurant, commercial marina, and is homeport to national and international cruise ships. Cruiseport currently employs approximately 150 people. Nine commercial fishing vessels regularly utilize the Cruiseport commercial docks along with the LNG service tugboat.
“We want to work with the neighborhood and the city of Gloucester to bring about the positive change that we know is possible for the beautiful city of Gloucester,” said DeLorenzo.
Mayor Carolyn Kirk has been briefed by DeLorenzo and expressed optimism about this latest news regarding Bird’s Eye. Said Kirk, “these plans are in keeping with the long-standing goal of the city to attract a downtown hotel, expand the tax base, generate revenue, and bring about additional vitality to Gloucester.”
Additional comment will be forthcoming after the closing date which is approximately 30 days from now.
Good Morning Gloucester 
Hotel rooms with a view of the greasy pole would book up a year in advance.
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So, who owns the beach?
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Great question! Anyone know?
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GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Sounds interesting! Is the bottom picture taken on the roof of the Birds Eye building? It’s really cool looking!
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Yep.
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Ooh… Just can’t help feeling live-in working artists’ studios would have been great for a small part of this historic building and area….
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they’re gonna make a bloody fortune….
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I remember the old the old Birdseye building from growing up in Cape Ann in the 1960’s. It’s more than just an old moldering commercial structure, it’s part of the history and heritage of Gloucester as a commercial fishing center. While not as photogenic as the old paint factory, to me it’s still iconic of Gloucester’s fishing industry. True, nothing lasts forever, but I hope that the folks at Cruiseport will consider replacing the building with a structure that incorporates and pays homage to some of the design elements of this building, including the tower. If a hotel with a convention center goes up here, the convention center would be an an ideal kind of structure to incorporate some of the design of the old Birdseye building.
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Starcruiser, I agree with you, & at least they wouldn’t be condos looking totally out of place. The only thing is old timers like me hate seeing the paint factory & Bird’s Eye changing. I know they can’t stay the way they are & get rented out but I will miss seeing them. I love both buildings.
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More info on the historical significance of the Birdseye plant in Gloucester, which I found on Wikpedia. They regard it as the beginning of today’s frozen food industry! :
In 1922 (Clarence) Birdseye conducted fish-freezing experiments at the Clothel Refrigerating Company, then established his own company, Birdseye Seafoods Inc., to freeze fish fillets via chilled air at -45°F (-43°C). In 1924 his company went bankrupt due to lack of consumer interest in the product. That same year he developed an entirely new process for commercially viable quick-freezing: pack fish in cartons, then freeze the contents between two refrigerated surfaces under pressure. Birdseye created a new company, General Seafood Corporation, to promote this method.
[edit]Industrial development
In 1925 his General Seafood Corporation moved to Gloucester, Massachusetts. There it employed Birdseye’s newest invention, the double belt freezer, in which cold brine chilled a pair of stainless steel belts carrying packaged fish, freezing the fish quickly. His invention was subsequently issued as US Patent #1,773,079, marking the beginning of today’s frozen foods industry. Birdseye then took out patents on machinery which cooled more quickly so that only small ice crystals can form and cell walls are not damaged. In 1927 he began to extend the process to quick-freezing of meat, poultry, fruit, and vegetables.
In 1929, Birdseye sold his company and patents for $22 million to Goldman Sachs and the Postum Company, which eventually became General Foods Corporation, and which founded the Birds Eye Frozen Food Company. Birdseye continued to work with the company, developing frozen food technology. In 1930 the company began sales experiments in 18 retail stores around Springfield, Massachusetts, to test consumer acceptance of quick-frozen foods. The initial product line featured 26 items, including 18 cuts of frozen meat, spinach and peas, a variety of fruits and berries, blue point oysters, and fish fillets. Consumer acceptance was strong, and today this experiment is considered the birth of retail frozen foods. The “Birds Eye” name remains a leading frozen-food brand.
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As a child our family would be on the beach in front of the Birds Eye building. As far as aesthetics
go, this is not as lovely as The Paint Factory, although quite surprised at the photo displaying the
copper. If anyone could blend a business in that area Sheree DeLorenzo would be the one. What
she has accomplished with the Cruize Port, jobs created, a great place to mingle, great food just
shows the blend of Flannagan Square , waterfront, and a place for all. As a young person I
remember when that whole square blew up and never thought of a restaurant and function room being there. Thanks for the history on frozen food, as a young adult with my children living in
back of the old Birds Eye estate on Eastern Point I was always fascinated by the history. Long live Gloucester.
D
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