Page 44 - BusinessWest March 20, 2023

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE >>
Art of the Matter
1350 Main St.
Melds Art Gallery,
Event Space into
Unique Facility
BY GEORGE O’BRIEN
[email protected]
van Plotkin says he decided to call it the ‘Springfield Room.’
That’s because ... most all of the paintings on the walls, courtesy of artist John Simpson and his stu- dents, depict well-known personalities who either live
in the city or have strong connections to it.
It’s a diverse group that includes Herbie Flores, the long-
time director of the New England Farm Workers’ Council,
as well as philanthropist Lyman Wood, White Lion Brewery founder Ray Berry, and even Plotkin himself, who has become well-known for his work in recent years to being more people — and more vibrancy — to the city’s downtown.
The paintings, all of which are for sale, are just one of the selling points of this facility, part of what is now known as the 1350 Conference Center, one of Plotkin’s latest efforts to re- envision, and repurpose, the property at 1350 Main St., which he co-owns.
The center is located on the ninth floor, in space that had served as what Plotkin called “an informal art gallery and event space” that was used occasionally for fundraisers and other gatherings. It was not marketed or really open to the public, he said, adding that it has been given a facelift to bring another amenity to existing tenants, hopefully attract others, and bring new meeting space to downtown Springfield.
And Plotkin believes the timing is right for such an under- taking. After more than two years of COVID, he noted, gath- erings of all sizes and types are becoming more prevalent as the region continues to move beyond the pandemic, even at a time when most meetings have at least some type of remote component.
“Most meetings are hybrid now,” he noted. “You have peo- ple who can attend the meeting live, and there’s an opportuni- ty to bring in others via Zoom. With such formats, your meet- ings tend to be better-attended, but most groups are gathering
“The artwork
in here is spectacular, and combining an event space with a gallery made
a whole lot of sense.”
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MARCH 20, 2020 << COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE >>
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Evan Plotkin in the 1350 Conference Center.