50 years in 50 weeks: 2002: SF LGBT center opens

  • by BAR staff
  • Wednesday November 10, 2021
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Photo: Courtesy B.A.R. Archive
Photo: Courtesy B.A.R. Archive

The March 7, 2002 front page of the Bay Area Reporter featured the grand opening of the Charles M. Holmes campus of the San Francisco LGBT Community Center. It was a long time coming — nine years of planning, countless delays, and millions of dollars spent. After a group of people decided the city needed an LGBT center — previous ones had closed — the 1800 Market Street location was procured, which included the old Fallon Building. Members of the center's board battled preservationists over the fate of the Victorian, which is now part of the center. Since its opening, the center has struggled at times to find its niche — it now provides employment services, housing resources, and services for LGBTQ youth, among others. It has had to adjust to financial challenges by refinancing its loans and securing tenants to occupy some of the former spaces open to the community. To view the issue, click here.

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