Pictured Drawing of the proposed Center. Executive Director Robbin Burr. Photos by Tracy Baim.
Mayor Daley and other city, county and state politicians helped break ground Tuesday for the new GLBT community center, expected to open by the end of 2006 on Halsted just north of Addison. Attending were Illinois Senate President Emil Jones, State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka, State Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Center Board president Patrick Sheahan and Mayor Daley. Executive Director Robbin Burr.
'There were people who said we couldn't. There were people who said we shouldn't. There were people who said we wouldn't. But we are defying gravity.'
With those words, and a theme borrowed from the soundtrack of the Broadway production Wicked, Center on Halsted Executive Director Robbin Burr announced to a rapt audience that the new facility had indeed become a reality. On June 14, supporters of the Center broke ground at 3656 N. Halsted, the agency's future home.
The facility is scheduled to open in late 2006 or early 2007.
At one point, Burr thanked several current and former officials whose contributions led to the event. She listed Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley; state Rep. John Cullerton, D-Chicago; state Attorney General Lisa Madigan; state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka; Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley; Illinois Senate President Emil Jones, Jr., D-Chicago; state Sen. Carol Ronen, D-Chicago; state Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago; Chicago Ald. Tom Tunney and Helen Shiller; state Rep. Harry Osterman, D-Chicago; local judge Nancy Katz; and former Ald. Bernie Hansen. Several of the politicians spoke, including Jones, who said that '2005 has been an incredible year' because of, among other things, the passage of the Human Rights Act (as amended to include sexual orientation and gender identity).
Daley praised the Center and the LGBT community, describing the latter as being 'the soul of the city' and 'the ones who are making a difference.' In addition, he noted that the facility 'will stand as a beacon of hope throughout the country.'
Erica (Acire) Gordon-Roche, a member of the Center on Halsted's Youth Leadership Council and a recent Windy City Times 30 Under 30 honoree, gave a moving speech about how the agency has transformed her life. She talked about how she was tossed from her home for being a lesbian and even mentioned being suicidal on several occasions, but added how the Center 'had given [her] a reason to live.'
The Center (formerly Horizons Community Services) has provided support to the LGBT community of Chicago and the Midwest for more than 30 years and will continue to offer a broad range of programs, including: education and counseling services to youth through the Horizons Youth Program; advocacy and assistance to domestic violence and hate-crime victims; group and individual therapy, which includes the State of Illinois HIV/AIDS/STD Hotline; and a range of cultural and educational programs for individuals at all stages of life.
The 135,000-square-foot, three-story facility also will offer office and meeting space to more than 40 Chicago-area community organizations, classrooms, recreational areas, a 175-seat performance venue, a rooftop garden, a computer Center and an underground parking garage.
Center on Halsted also will be the first LGBT community center with a large-scale, full-time, for-profit tenant. Whole Foods Market, the world's leading retailer of natural and organic foods, will be the Center's anchor retail tenant. Whole Foods is expected to collaborate with the Center to develop life-enriching programs, such as nutrition classes and cooking demonstrations, and will likely sponsor events, such as blood donation drives.
Also, Center on Halsted will set new standards for environmentally responsible community centers. The Center is working with Gensler and Power Construction to design an energy-efficient building that features natural ventilation and light; carbon-dioxide monitoring; rainwater harvesting; solar hot water heating; and renewable materials. The new building will create a more healthful environment for its users, while reducing its consumption of non-renewable energy resources.
According to the Center's Web site, the process of taking apart the 1920s facade from the original building at 3640 N. Halsted has begun and will last until August. As the tiles are dismantled, they will be catalogued and then stored for future restoration and re-application onto the new building. The preservation of the facade is part of an agreement made with the City of Chicago and the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and earns the Center credit in its environmentally sustainable building design. Once the facade has been completely removed, the current building—a two-story garage used most recently to repair municipal vehicles—will be totally destroyed.
The Center's design and construction team includes architectural firm Gensler, developer Mesirow Financial, contractor Power Construction Company, MEP engineer Environmental Systems Design, Inc., structural engineer Halvorson & Kaye, civil engineer Terra Engineering & Construction, historic preservation consultant McGuire Igleski and Associates, Inc., and Bond Companies representing Whole Foods Market.
