By December’s end, Uptown Kingston will have a new concert and event venue that caters to the needs of artists and audiences alike. Assembly will host its first show Dec. 30, with more shows planned throughout 2025 and beyond.

Located on the top floor of 236 Wall Street in the old St. Joseph’s School, Assembly boasts a 450-person capacity, in a space that can be configured to match almost any imaginable need. It’s the brainchild of partners Drew Frankel, 37, of Kingston and Peter Himberger, 62, of Boiceville, who have been operating Impact Concerts as show hosts for more than a decade.

So far, Frankel said, no idea for a show is currently beyond their space. “We’re really trying to emphasize that … that everything is movable and reconfigurable. We really intend to push it to its limits on those fronts,” Frankel said.

Frankel said Assembly fits a special need in Kingston for a mid-tier event space, between a more intimate setting of a 100-seat show — currently available at a few spots around the city — and the 1,500-seat Ulster Performing Arts Center. He said Kingston can be an attractive destination to touring acts, and Assembly serves a dual purpose between being entertainment for area residents and a great place to visit for entertainers.

“We’ve talked for a long time about having a venue of our own,” Frankel said during a recent tour of the space with the Kingston Wire, to which Himberger later added, “It’s our biggest project … We feel really strongly that Kingston needs a venue like this one.”

Himberger explained that his partnership with Frankel merges their professional backgrounds in ways that audiences and performers should both appreciate. Himberger said his career in artist management melds well with Frankel’s focus on the experience enjoyed by show-goers.

Frankel elaborated, stating he previously handled concert and festival bookings and production before joining Himberger in artist management. He said knowing how performers think and knowing what venues focus on has been crucial.

“Both of our backgrounds in artist management, meaning managing every aspect of the career of musical talent — from touring and recording, every part of managing an artist, puts both of us … in a better position to put on shows. Very few people who put on concerts also manage artists. We feel like being artist managers makes us better concert promoters, and being concert promoters makes us better artist managers,” Frankel said. “It’s not instinctual to know what artists need on the road unless you’ve been there before, which we have.”

Frankel said he and Himberger understand now what they hope will make Assembly an appealing stop to touring performers because they’ve lived that life. To that end, Frankel said Assembly will offer amenities some venues skip: laundry machines, a shower, a secure green room with games, entertainment and WiFi, and an elevator for easy gear movement.

Frankel then said that Kingston itself will be part of the draw for artists to visit, because of its great coffee boutiques, record stores, bars and shops. “All of that is within walking distance of where these artists are going to spend their day when they come to Kingston,” he added.

Back in 2014, Himberger and Frankel joined forces with Impact Artist Management, described by their website as a “specialized management firm focused on guiding the long-term careers of artists towards critical and commercial success.” In 2018 they branched out, forming Impact Concerts, their vehicle to host shows and similar entertainment in the area. They bill themselves as one of the largest concert promoters in the Hudson Valley.

The partners said that they chose to open the Uptown space once they were approached by the building’s owner in 2021. Himberger said there’s currently a void in draws to the area that can complement restaurants and shops, and he hopes that Assembly will give visitors another entertainment option in the city. Assembly will also fill a major gap created when Backstage Studio Productions, known also as BSP, shuttered in 2019.

Himberger said the 450-person count makes them somewhat unique in the area, as they don’t expect to compete with the smaller venues or UPAC. He said their attention to detail for both guests and artists should make them stand out from other venues that approach hosting events from solely a “sell tickets” perspective.

The partners said there will be announcements in the coming weeks for events through February, and any artist looking to use the space should reach out to Assembly through the website.

“Concerts are going to be our bread and butter, but it’s not going to be just concerts,” Himberger said. The partners said Assembly could host dance parties, weddings, theater, burlesque and more. “We’re opening it up to a lot of different groups to see what works best,” Himberger said.

Frankel then added, “We know this community likes going out to events.” The trick, he said, is to see what works over time, with an eventual goal over the next three years to have shows four nights a week. Plans for the future include installing a ticket booth in the building, adding a bar that can move about the space as needed, having a viewing screen available, and installing a top-tier sound system.

But while the plan is to put on shows, Himberger said their focus remains making Kingston a great destination. “We’re not doing it just to make a buck. We do care about the area,” he added.

Assembly will host The Felice Brothers with special guest Merce Lemon on Dec. 30, with doors opening at 7 p.m. and the show starting at 8 p.m. On Dec. 31, Assembly has its New Year’s Eve event, with The Afters featuring Jams Bond, with doors to open around midnight.

For tickets and more information, visit: https://www.assemblykingston.com/