“On my first day of work, as agreed with the president, I will instruct the municipal cultural services to study the conditions for evolving the municipal classification of the Stop, so as to integrate its intangible dimension. This will protect not only the architecture of the building but also its use and predominantly cultural and artistic vocation as a home for independent musicians in Porto,” announced today Jorge Sobrado, elected as a councilor by the PS, now independent, to whom Pedro Duarte (PSD/CDS-PP/IL) has entrusted the Culture portfolio in the first meeting of the new municipal executive.
The study will be conducted by Professor Paula Guerra from the Faculty of Arts of the University of Porto, who is a specialist in artistic creation and cultural policies and a researcher in ‘underground’ musical practices, it was further revealed.
On July 30, the Stop Shopping Center was classified as a monument of municipal interest, according to an announcement published in Diário da República, which establishes a protection zone of 50 meters around the building used as a cultural center.
“The CCStop represents a cultural value of significant importance for the municipality of Porto, as it stands as an undeniable symbol of Porto’s musical scene, considered one of the most particular examples of musical production and dynamics in Europe,” states the announcement in Diário da República, which also highlights “its uniqueness, exceptionality, and relevance.”
Jorge Sobrado also confirmed plans to advance the rehabilitation of the Palácio de São João Novo in Miragaia to house the central core of the Porto Museum, a project he has been involved in as director of the Porto Museum and Libraries (2022-2024) and advocated for during the campaign alongside Manuel Pizarro of the Socialist Party.
Pedro Duarte suggested visiting the Palácio de São João Novo on Friday to understand “more directly the reality and context of the project at this stage.”
