Joseph Barry

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Joseph Barry
Born1940 (age 83–84)
NationalityAmerican
EducationB.A. Rutgers University
J.D. Rutgers Law School
Occupationreal estate developer
Known for--co-founder of Applied Housing Companies
--founder of the Hudson Reporter
SpouseGail Barry
ChildrenDavid Barry
Michael Barry
Lisa Barry Fleisher
Parent(s)Marion and Walter Barry
FamilyKyra Tirana Barry (daughter-in-law)

Joseph Barry (born 1940) is an American real estate developer and co-founder of the Applied Housing Companies and founder of the Hudson Reporter newspaper chain.[1]

Early life[edit]

Joseph Barry was born in 1940 to a Jewish family[2] in New Jersey and raised in Newark,[3] the son of Marion and Walter Barry.[2] His father was a union organizer for the United Electrical Workers[4] who started to develop low income housing in Newark after the 1967 Newark riots.[5] Barry earned a B.A. In English from Rutgers University and graduated first in his class from Rutgers Law School.[1]

Career[edit]

Barry served as a clerk to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.[6] In the 1960s, he was associated with the left-wing Students for Democratic Society.[4] In 1970, Barry and his father founded the Applied Housing Company.[2][7] In 1971, Hoboken designated Applied Housing as their exclusive developer of Section 8 housing tasked with rehabilitating deteriorated buildings into affordable housing.[4] Applied focused on renovating the existing housing stock rather than clearance and rebuild; they also believed in careful maintenance and management thereafter to preserve the stock.[5] During the 1970s, Applied built and renovated thousands of units of affordable housing throughout New Jersey with a concentration in Hoboken, North Bergen, and Bayonne.[1][2] The firm was given a great deal of credit for Hoboken's rebirth. In 1979, his father retired and Joseph Barry became president. He re-focused the company on constructing market-rate and luxury housing with a particular concentration on the Hoboken and Jersey City waterfronts[2] including the $150 million, 1,160-unit Shipyard Development Project on Hoboken's waterfront; the 1,650 unit waterfront condominium community Port Liberté in Jersey City; and the 42-story luxury Palisades rental residence in Fort Lee, New Jersey. In 2001, Barry pleaded guilty to making five cash payments totaling $114,900 to former County Executive Robert Janiszewski to secure state and federal funding for the Shipyard project. Barry resigned from Applied Housing and handed the management[1] of the now $108 million in sales company[6] over to his two sons. Admitting guilt, Barry stated: "I made a terrible mistake. I take responsibility for it, and will get on with my life."[1] Barry was sentenced to 25 months in federal prison, ordered to make $1 million in restitution payments, and fined $20,000.[8] By 2004, Applied was the largest developer in Hoboken.[1]

In 1983, Barry also founded the Hudson Reporter newspaper chain.[1] He established Reporter newspapers in six other Hudson County towns: Jersey City, Weehawken, Secaucus, Union City, West New York and North Bergen.[4] In 1999, he sold his share in the chain to minority partners and co-publishers David Unger and Lucha Malato.[1] Despite being semi-retired, Barry remains committed to the urban redevelopment volunteering his time via his LinX Redevelopment company to rebuilding New Jersey's run-down cities[3] with his latest focus on Passaic, New Jersey.[9]

Personal life[edit]

Barry is married to Gail H. Barry and lives in Peapack-Gladstone. They have three children: David Barry, Michael Barry, and Lisa Barry Fleisher who continue to run the company[2] and its sister company, the Ironstate Development Company.[10][11][12][13][14] His son David is married to Kyra Tirana Barry, team leader for the U.S. Woman's Wrestling Team that competed in the 2016 Olympic Games.[15]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Hudson Reporter: "Developer Joseph Barry pleads guilty Admits to $114,900 in illegal cash payments to former county exec" by Tom Jennemann, June 25, 2004.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Paid Notice: Deaths BARRY, WALTER", The New York Times, February 12, 2012.
  3. ^ a b "MY HISTORY LEADING TO LINX DEVELOPMENT" Archived 2016-03-05 at the Wayback Machine, Linx Redevelopment. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d Fund for A Better Waterfront: "Hoboken developer Joe Barry targeted by federal investigators" September 2001
  5. ^ a b "A leader passes on. Walter Barry, who developed housing throughout Hoboken and beyond, passes away at 99", Hudson Reporter, February 12, 2012.
  6. ^ a b Ronald Smothers, "2 More Indicted In Bribery Case In New Jersey", The New York Times, October 16, 2003.
  7. ^ Applied Development website: History Archived August 23, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
  8. ^ Conte, Michaelangelo (October 22, 2004). NJ.com: "BIG HOUSE FOR BARRY". NJ.com.
  9. ^ "PASSAIC PROJECT". Linx Redevelopment. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
  10. ^ Ironstate Company website: "About Us". Ironstate Development Company. Retrieved July 22, 2014
  11. ^ Burd, Joshua (September 17, 2012). New Jersey Biz: "An ironclad growth plan - Barry brothers make Ironstate a success by sticking to development strategy". NJBiz.
  12. ^ Melanie Grayce West, "Going to the Mat With a Gift", Wall Street Journal, March 16, 2011.
  13. ^ Burd, Joshua (December 22, 2014). "The builders: The Barry brothers are changing skylines and perceptions". NJBIZ.
  14. ^ Marino, Vivian (May 26, 2011), "David Barry". The New York Times.
  15. ^ Abbott, Gary (April 13, 2016). "Kyra Barry named USA Wrestling Woman of the Year". Team USA Wrestling.