KINGSTON >> Fedora-wearing John Stavros, his long hair bunched up underneath, hopes to create a buzz of activity inside a vacant Broadway building in Midtown
“I want to put some pop in Midtown,” said Stavros, 65, a New York City marketer and a promoter of the arts and sports.
Inside the brick-walled, 5,400-square-foot building at 672 Broadway, Stavros is on his way to creating the Kingston Pop Museum.
Work done so far at the foreclosed building includes a massive cleanup of a rear yard where Stavros hopes to build an addition that be used as a public art exhibition space.
“Kingston Pop Museum is an open loft located in the heart of Kingston, NY,” the project’s website says. “Catering to a wide spectrum of events, this location is ideal for those looking for a modern venue.”
The plan to build an addition, designed by Kingston Architect Scott Dutton, was to be reviewed by the Kingston Planning Board next Monday at City Hall, but Stavros has asked for a delay, so the matter is likely to be tabled.
Stavros, a former professional soccer player, has a 26 years of experience in the promotion, marketing and production of creative endeavors. He is owner of PMP (promotion, marketing, production) Studios in New York City.
The company’s website says that “for the last eight years, PMP Studios has been the leading event space in New York City, facilitating over 250 productions per year.”
Of Stavros, the website says he is a “story of rags to riches.”
“John’s [had] involvement with Studio 54, Andy Warhol’s Factory, the firstst female soccer team in 1977, and in 1990, he founded PMP Studios in order to combine all of his creative services under one roof,” the site says. “PMP Studios is well known for its contribution to promotions of the Champion World Series [of soccer] … as well as MTV’s hit show ‘P Diddy’s Making the Band’ and several of Playboy TV’s most popular programs.”
Stavros said this week that he wants to bring PMP’s kind of energy to the Kingston Pop Museum. He said he expects to hire four to five full-timers but also many subcontractors for particular events.
“Kingston will have something to say that is fashionable,” Stavros said. “That’s hip. That’s cool. That’s the plan.”
Stavros hopes to open the Kingston Pop Museum in October and have a picture window at the front. The facade currently has a mural on it.
Visible through the window will be a display of memorabilia once belonging to the famous but now part of Stavros’ personal collection. Included, Stavros said, will be items that belonged to the late Colin Bill Aucoin, who managed the rock band Kiss, late fashion illustrator Antonio Lopez, fashion icon Charles James and soccer star David Beckham.
But Stavros said the museum is just part of what will be included in the three-story building once owned by developer Enrique Mazada, who proposed the never-built Sailors Cove on the Hudson housing project.
“Whether it’s a an art exhibition, wedding or a wine tasting, a cocktail party or a casting call, Kingston Pop Museum just might be your next venue,” the company’s website says.
Stavros says he was attracted to Kingston in part by its architecture. In particular, he was drawn to the brick building on Broadway out of nostalgia: His family was in the brick-making factory business in Greece.
Stavros said also recognized Kingston’s recent influx of artists, including those now living in the recently converted Lace Mill building on Cornell Street in Midtown.
Additional plans for Stavros’ building includes work spaces for artists, including a music editing room the basement. The upper floors are expected to have work spaces, more gallery space, offices and a living space for Stavros. There also might be living space for artists-in-residence.
http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20160203/kingston-pop-museum-taking-shape-on-broadway-in-midtown-could-open-in-october#disqus_thread
