Bay Windows - January 8, 2004
Peter Cassels

The center occupies the first floor of India Point Place, a building that once housed a furniture store on George M. Cohan Boulevard near downtown Providence. Because the facility overlooks I-195, commuters and others traveling the busy highway likely will notice the rainbow flag flying proudly from its roof.

India Point Project, a nonprofit organization promoting diversity, owns the building. A major tenant, the GLBT community center will be managed under a two-year contract by RI Pride, the organization that runs the community celebration held every June in Providence.

The center will house three offices for up to eight organizations to share, a meeting room, resource library, retail store and business center that will have computer, Internet, fax, photocopier, phone and mail services, a community lounge and a kitchen. RI Pride is working with India Point Project to develop a conference facility on the building's lower level to further expand the services provided by the center and other community organizations. Within the building there also will be a caf and art gallery that India Point Project will manage.

India Point Project unveiled plans for the GLBT community center at an April 2001 news conference held in the Providence City Hall office of then-mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci, who presented the organization with a $25,000 community development block grant for architectural design and renovation of what was then a two-building complex: the former furniture store and an adjacent three-family house.

At the news conference, an India Point Project spokesperson reported that the facility would open in about six months; however, funding and contractor problems caused unexpected delays.

According to Roger Grindstaff, India Point Project president, costs thus far have totaled approximately $1.2 million. "That figure includes purchasing both buildings, all renovations and all furnishings," he said in a Jan. 5 statement to Bay Windows. In 2003, the three-family house was sold to help defray costs.

"India Point Project is pleased that RI Pride has accepted our offer to be the lead agency in the formation of a LGBT community center in India Point Place," Grindstaff stated. "We feel that they will be a great benefit in this capacity and will lay a foundation that will create an organization that will have a great impact in the future."

"The opening of India Point Place will close a long and sometimes very complex journey," Grindstaff continued. "It is the wish of the board and management of India Point Project that 2004 will bring all of the community to a place of unity and that India Point Place will be a beacon of hope for the future."

Providence Mayor David Cicilline, who is gay, is among government officials and members of the GLBT community expected to attend the Jan. 10 event. "I am delighted to see that after much planning and discussion, this facility will finally be opening," Cicilline said in a statement to Bay Windows. "I have no doubt it will be an important gathering site and resource for our community."

Organizations participating in the community center thus far include the Rhode Island chapter of Seniors in a Gay Environment, the GLBT Helpline of Rhode Island, the Providence Gay Men's Chorus, Rhode Island Men of Phoenix (an educational and social group), AIDS Quilt Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Alliance for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights.

In an e-mail interview, RI Pride Co-chairs Alex Gorriaran and Rodney Davis described the center as "an invaluable resource" and its opening as "a natural evolution" for the state's GLBT community.

RI Pride will continue to maintain its offices on Seymour Street in Providence and will open one in the GLBT community center. Because of the limited amount of available space, organizations that want to set up offices or schedule meetings will be required to undergo an application process.

Besides office and meeting space, the center will offer programs tailored to the GLBT community. "Some preliminary plans include a speaker series, youth intern training programs, workshops, professional and business networking, and social opportunities," Gorriaran and Davis reported.

The center is the fruition of more than two decades of discussion and planning. Like most other GLBT community centers throughout the nation and the world, the Providence center will be staffed by a combination of volunteers and paid employees, Gorriaran and Davis reported. They urged community members to contact RI Pride about volunteer opportunities and other ways individuals and organizations can participate.

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