The Tavern was originally constructed at the beginning of the 20th century in a rural area outside of Kingston, NY and functioned as Browns Hilltop Tavern from 1934 to 1984, with the original Nick Brown serving drinks until the age of 94. After ’84, The Tavern was used as a residential property, and slowly slipped into disrepair, ultimately getting trashed by squatters during the Covid-19 pandemic. Peyton purchased The Tavern in early 2022 with the intention of rehabbing the building (plus outbuildings) and land to support the residency program and interdisciplinary research of The Center for Sonic and Psychospiritual Research.
The Tavern’s rehab is an ongoing project, full of community involvement, with focus on natural building techniques. Adobe is a material that has been prioritized for building, as it offers a non-toxic, moldable medium for artists to literally sculpt the walls. There are 1.5 acres of open lawn and 1.5 acres of forest space, with the potential for the land to agriculturally provide for the residents. Much of the history of The Tavern can still be seen in the exposed beams of the dance-hall (the room which originally hosted square dancing), and the original mahogany bar remains right behind the front door - the bar was gifted in the 30’s from a local brewery in exchange for selling their beer. However the brewery burned down just 3 weeks after gifting the bar!
Now, the dance-hall is the main performance space at The Tavern. It’s currently equipped with a minimal backline - PA, drums, upright piano and electric piano. We are seeking an upright bass, bass amp and guitar amp. Upstairs, The Tavern has 4 small bedrooms currently being rehabbed to support the artist residency. One of the bedrooms will be built as a sound isolation room to accommodate louder instruments.