In Gardiner, New York – the heart of the Hudson Valley – Mike and Christina Benevento have begun to conduct an unconventional experiment in civic infrastructure; and by all accounts, the experiment is working and working well. The Beneventos are the founders of Full Circle Commons, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to strengthening the social fabric of the Hudson Valley primarily through Full Circle, a community hub built around food, nature, and the universal language of music.
They built the space from the ground up, not just with lumber and nails, but with a philosophy rooted in the “third place,” the vital social environment outside the home and workplace.
Design for the Senses
From the get-go, it was important for the Beneventos that the physical structure of Full Circle feel “alive” and support their community building efforts. Rather than apply the typical commercial construction handbook that prioritizes the bottom line above all else, they looked to A Pattern Language, an influential 1977 book on architectural design, to make choices that served their mission. “As one example, we built post-and-beam wood construction in the main building. We thought it was important to capture the vibe that happens when you walk into a room and you smell the wood,” Mike explains. “There’s a warmth to it.”
Beyond the aesthetics, the design utilizes passive solar principles, such as deep overhangs and awnings. “It provides this unspoken ability to gather comfortably. In the wintertime, the sun is low in the sky and comes underneath that awning. Then in the summertime, that awning is the spot where everyone wants to go to have shade.”
Community-Centered Ecosystem
Full Circle houses an intentionally curated ecosystem of community-centered small businesses: Gardiner Bakehouse, a full-service production bakery that seeks to foster a direct connection between artisan bakers and the community; Benton, a laid-back, casual eatery and greenhouse; and Hudson Valley Trailworks, a trail-building cooperative dedicated to connecting communities throughout the Hudson Valley. Connecting these entities is the Trail Side Lounge, a middle space that facilitates chance encounters among neighbors, and the Living Room at Full Circle, a ~100-cap space that hosts live music, yoga classes, private workshops, and other community programs. The venue emulates the spirit of European piazzas or Irish pubs, where multi-generational interaction takes place organically: on any given day, adults might enjoy a performance inside while their children safely enjoy the natural playground and outdoor trails.
Prioritizing Artists and Listeners
In building out the Living Room at Full Circle, the Beneventos worked with Billy Schmidt, a friend and local production manager and audio engineer, to create a professional soundstage to host the many talented musicians in, around, or passing through the Hudson Valley. (To name a few, jazz rock pianist Marco Benevento – Mike and Christina’s cousin – lives in nearby Woodstock, and Sean Bonnette, of AJJ, has performed at the venue.) Accordingly, the Living Room at Full Circle has carved out a niche as a dedicated listening room: for both artists and the audience, the focus sits squarely on the performance, a shift inspired by an early partnership with the Hudson Valley Flamenco Festival.
Christina recalls the reaction of the New York City-based artists who performed there for the first time: “They play in a lot of noisy clubs and bars, and as soon as they got here, they felt the intimacy of the space, that the audience was really listening. In that moment, I knew we had something special.” This realization led to a commitment to hospitality and treating artists as family, compensating them fairly, and offering up the Trail Side Lounge as a high-quality green room stocked with fresh bread and snacks from the onsite eateries. “In a way, we’ve adopted part of the philosophy of Latin American peñas flamencas, these semi-private social clubs dedicated to offering flamenco enthusiasts pure enjoyment and prioritizing artist development over tourism.”
Weaving the Social Fabric
Community participation is baked into the Beneventos’ operational model. A dedicated pool of volunteers helps with logistics like setting up chairs, working the door, and breaking down equipment. This involvement extends to the programming itself, which ranges from free grief workshops and storytelling open mics to the weekly Monday night “Circle Set” that has been running since Full Circle opened. The jam attracts everyone from 12-year-old singers to touring professionals. “We knew all along that music was the easiest way to connect people,” Mike explains. “You play a song, and people are moving together in rhythm. If our objective was to bring people together and weave this social fabric a little stronger in our area, we saw music as an important way to do so.”
This spirit of connection recently culminated in a “full circle” moment involving local musician Steve Casa. Years ago, Casa had welcomed the Beneventos to the area with a “Music and Macaroni” jam at his home. At the beginning of the year, Casa’s own band, Zeppify, performed at Full Circle. “To be able to have Steve play the Living Room – this community’s living room – was just such an awesome moment,” Mike recalls.
Closing the Loop
As Full Circle continues to grow, the founders hope to implement a sliding-scale or “pay what you can” model for attendees, ensuring that the “third place” remains open to everyone. By prioritizing community and human connection, Full Circle is proving that when you build a space the right way and for the right reasons, the community will step in to participate and help it thrive.
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