When we think about the 518, we often conjure up images of the beating, urban (or at least suburban) heart of the Capital Region. But drive 30 minutes south from Albany as the Hudson River rolls, and you might be surprised to relish in views you mistakenly believed only belonged further downstate.
Tucked away in Coxsackie—a little town that marries the Capital Region’s history with the natural beauty of the Upper Hudson Valley—stands The Wire Event Center. One of the area’s newest wedding venues, the waterfront event space brings the past, present and future together under one roof.
In its previous life, The Wire was J.G. Newbury Ironworks, a foundry located in Coxsackie’s busy 19th-century commercial shipping port. When the port was eventually abandoned sometime in the 1970s, the impressive structure and the history it holds were left without a steward. That is, until real estate investor Aaron Flach purchased the property in 2018. Seeing the potential for beauty (and a boon to the local community) in the underutilized riverfront space, Flach set out to transform the former factory into a venue, tapping the top-tier counsel of Prestige Hospitality Group to help breathe spirit back into the building’s bones.
“When you go inside, even the beams and the trusses are all authentic,” says Anne Cloutier, Prestige’s vice president of sales and marketing. “There were a couple that needed to be enhanced and reinforced, but the original beauty of those beams in the brick building is just stunning.”
While the integrity of the building adds a lot to its allure and historic charm, its modern additions—like the stunning, year-round atrium—make it the ideal backdrop for today’s most special moments. Part of the magic, according to Cloutier? “Being able to experience the river, no matter what’s happening outside.”
In 2024, The Wire’s second year hosting events, 31 weddings were on the books—quite a few for a new venue. Scaling up to that capacity so quickly could have been daunting, but Prestige brought in local events powerhouse Mazzone Hospitality to help make it a reality. Mazzone is now an exclusive partner to The Wire, offering its catering and wedding-planning services.
“Mazzone has been fantastic to have,” says Cloutier. “There’s nothing that they haven’t done before, and they have the creativity to think outside the box.” How far outside the box? Let’s just say when it comes to décor, Mazzone doesn’t stop at tasteful centerpieces; for past events, they’ve brought live trees and even cars into the venue.
Making the imagined come to life is far from an effortless feat, but for those on the outside looking in, that’s how it appears.
“It’s about cultivating those relationships and making sure that people know that, OK, when Mazzone comes in, they’re going to deliver what they promise,” says Justine Ochal, Mazzone’s vice president of sales and client relations. “At every event, we provide a wedding attendant. If the bride or groom needs something, that person is there.”
And by something Ochal means anything. She recalls a recent wedding in which an unlucky groomsman ripped the entire inseam of his pants. What did the wedding attendant do? Sewed them up good as new, of course. Ochal gives a knowing laugh. “We’ve had to sew brides into their dresses before.” In other words, your wedding attendant is basically like an older sister with whom you’d trust not only your life, but your wedding dress.
While nature’s beauty and a reverence for history might be what draws you to The Wire, it’s that tangible feeling of trust that’ll make you stay.
