| Joseph Barry | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Education: | B.A. Rutgers University J.D. Rutgers Law School |
| Occupation: | real estate developer |
| Known For: | --co-founder of Applied Housing Companies --founder of the Hudson Reporter |
| Spouse: | Gail Barry |
| Parents: | Marion and Walter Barry |
| Children: | David Barry Michael Barry Lisa Barry Fleisher |
| Family: | Kyra 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]
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. 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.
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]
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]