Pride Live to Open Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center in 2024
Pride Live, a social advocacy and community engagement organization for the LGBTQ+ community, announced plans to open the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center (SNMVC). Set to be the first LGBTQ+ visitor center within the National Park Service (NPS), the center marks a landmark achievement and leap forward in American history. The SNMVC is scheduled to open in the summer of 2024 and will occupy nearly 3,700 square feet at 51 Christopher Street, between Waverly Place and 7th Avenue South in New York City. With support from Google, the groundbreaking ceremony will be live-streamed on YouTube at 10:30 am ET on June 24.
When the Stonewall Rebellion took place on June 28, 1969, the Stonewall Inn was made up of two locations – 53 Christopher Street, where the current Stonewall Inn bar is located today, and 51 Christopher Street. Located at 51 Christopher Street, the future home of the SNMVC will reunite the historic Stonewall Inn and commemorate the events of the Stonewall Rebellion in their authentic locations.
Designated by President Barack Obama on June 24, 2016, the Stonewall National Monument currently includes the 0.19-acre formerly known as Christopher Park and the surrounding streets including Christopher Street adjacent to the park. The Stonewall National Monument is the first U.S. national monument dedicated to LGBTQ+ rights and history.
“The opening of the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center (SNMVC) is a remarkable moment in the history of Stonewall,” said Ann Marie Gothard, President of the Pride Live Board of Directors. “We honor all those who came before us, most especially the queer people fighting for equality at the Stonewall Rebellion. The designation as a National Monument and the opening of this visitor center will memorialize their important legacy in the gay rights movement, and we hope will inspire future generations to continue fighting for LGBTQ+ equality.”
With a mission to preserve, advance and celebrate the legacy of the Stonewall Rebellion and the Stonewall National Monument, the SNMVC will serve as a beacon for generations to come, providing the unique opportunity to visit the very site where history was made and where the fight for LGBTQ+ equality visibly shifted with new waves of activism. The SNMVC will offer an immersive experience welcoming all people to explore and experience LGBTQ+ history and culture through in-person and virtual tours, lecture series, exhibitions, and visual arts displays. In addition, the SNMVC will serve as a home base for the dedicated National Park Service Rangers, who are responsible for the preservation of the Stonewall National Monument.
Founding supporters of the SNMVC include Google – the first corporate partner to sign on, The Kors Le Pere Foundation, JPMorgan Chase & Co., AARP, Target, David Yurman, Amazon, National Football League, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, Lana and Lilly Wachowski, United Therapeutics, New York Yankees and global activist and ally Josephine Skriver, who made the inaugural donation to the campaign.
MBB Architects will lead the design process with support from LGBTQ+ historians, activists, and community leaders. Local Projects will lead the experiential, exhibit, and educational process.
Additionally, TransTech Social Enterprises curated a collective of trans artists, one of whom was selected to design the inaugural and historic SNMVC membership card. The winner was Ang R. Bennett, who is an artist, curator, model, and trans and non-binary queer activist. Their painting will be revealed at the groundbreaking ceremony.
Brooklyn-based Lia Clay Miller, a world-renowned portrait and fashion photographer, will document every aspect of the development of the SNMVC, beginning at the groundbreaking ceremony, to the design and construction phase, and culminating with the grand opening.
For more information, visit www.stonewallvisitorcenter.org
