• Equality
  • Community
    • Health
    • Youth
    • Seniors
  • Voices
    • From the CEO
    • Take Five
    • Why I Give
  • About the Center
  • Galleries
  • Calendar
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending
  • Slice, Slice Baby!
  • LGBTQ+ Youth, Seniors, and ‘Drag Race’ Queens Celebrate Chosen Family at Inaugural Intergenerational Thanksgiving Dinner
  • Dispensing Culturally Competent Care: The Center’s Patient-Centric Pharmacy Does Much More Than Fill Prescriptions
  • Get to Know the Center’s New Leadership Team
  • The Center Looks Back on 25 Years of Senior Services
  • Center CEO Joe Hollendoner: “Our Work Is Never Done”
  • Trixie Mattel Inspires LGBTQ+ Youth to Be Their Best Selves at Models of Pride: “You Are All the Main Character”
  • From Poetry to Tap Dance, Seniors Flaunt Their Talents at Fall Showcase 
Twitter Facebook Instagram YouTube
LGBT News Now
Learn about career opportunities at the Center
  • Equality
  • Community
    • Health
    • Youth
    • Seniors
  • Voices
    • From the CEO
    • Take Five
    • Why I Give
  • About the Center
  • Galleries
  • Calendar
LGBT News Now
You are at:Home»Community»History Made: Community Celebrates Anita May Rosenstein Campus Grand Opening

History Made: Community Celebrates Anita May Rosenstein Campus Grand Opening

0
By on April 14, 2019 Community

By Greg Hernandez

More than 3,000 people helped celebrate the grand opening of the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s two-acre Anita May Rosenstein Campus on April 7.

The state-of-the-art facility includes 100 beds for youth experiencing homelessness, the new Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Senior Center, youth drop-in center, and The Ariadne Getty Foundation Youth Academy.

Center CEO Lorri L. Jean told the cheering crowd: “This is our greatest legacy: the thousands of lives that will be saved and changed here. The joy and comfort and love that will reside here, and the confidence and pride that will be born here.”

“At a time in our nation when the highest leaders in the land are building a wall to keep the most vulnerable among us out, your Center has built a home to invite the most vulnerable in,” Jean added.

Jean was among those who participated in a ceremonial ribbon cutting for the $141 million Campus, which opened during the Center’s 50th anniversary year.

Joining her on a stage on McCadden Avenue were lead donor Anita May Rosenstein, donor Ariadne Getty, U.S. Congressman Adam Schiff, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, Los Angeles City Councilman David Ryu, Lily Tomlin, Kathy Griffin, and David Bailey, chair of the Campus Capital Campaign and co-chair of the Center’s Board of Directors.

“Love is strong in L.A. today,” Garcetti said in his remarks to the crowd. “This is a day in which we pull together. The message this sends here today is whether you’re gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, whether you’re housed or unhoused, whether you’re young or not as young, no matter what color your hair, no matter what religion you practice: in Los Angeles and in this world, you belong.”

“It Will Bring Hope to Tens of Thousands of People”

Rosenstein, whose family foundations gave $8 million to the project, got a prolonged ovation from the crowd when she stepped up to the microphone.

“My grandparents taught me that if you can give, you must give,” she said. “The Campus is groundbreaking because it provides inter-generational living and support. It will bring love, it will bring hope to tens of thousands of people. I can’t tell you how much it means to me that I was part of this. I hope this will be life-changing.”

Schiff, a longtime supporter of the Center, was greeted like a rock star by the crowd.

“Two years ago many of us gathered very close to this spot to consider what had just happened in the presidential election and what it would mean for our country and what it would mean for the cause of equality,” Schiff recalled. “We knew there would be tough struggles ahead and, indeed, some of our worst fears have been realized. But we have stayed together, we have fought together, and we will prevail together. And we see just what we’re capable of when we see this magnificent new Campus.”

Ryu’s office worked closely with the Center in navigating various governmental hurdles. He called the Campus “the model for all others to follow.”

”We faced every kind of challenge and roadblock, but we stayed focused and committed to the promise of the Anita May Rosenstein Campus and what it would mean to the LGBT community,” he said.

Phase II Opens in Fall-2020

The Campus is now the Center’s flagship facility. The organization’s previous headquarters, the four-story McDonald/Wright Building, is being transformed entirely into a health center.

Phase II of the Campus is scheduled to open in 2020 and will include 99 units of affordable housing for seniors and 25 supportive housing apartments for youth.

Kuehl got one of the morning’s biggest laughs when she said: “Of course I supported this project—I’m 78 years old! I’m moving in!”

Tomlin and Griffin performed comedy routines for the crowd which was also treated to musical performances by Alexandra Billings, City of Sound, Brian Justin Crum, The Denise Fraser Band, Gizzle, Frankie Grande, Mariachi Arcoiris, Ezre Michel, Shangela, Trans Chorus of Los Angeles, Sam Tsui, Viento Callejero, VINCINT, and Betty Who.

“I’ll be sharing the penthouse with Sheila Kuehl and Lily Tomlin,” Griffin joked. “Let’s throw in Bette (Midler) and Cher.”

Prior to the ribbon cutting, longtime Center supporter Tomlin reflected on what the Campus will mean to the community.

“It’s spectacular and it’s so right for the people who are going to gain housing here—older and younger residents—learning from one another, helping sustain one another,” she said. “It’s really just a glorious thing.”

Taking A Look Inside

Members of the public were given guided tours of the 180,000-square-foot Campus throughout the morning and afternoon.

“Architecturally, it’s just really impressive,” Pasadena resident Jonathan Edwards said after his tour. “I love how the building embraces the California indoor-outdoor thing with all these amazing courtyards with these sliding glass doors. It just blew me away.”

Edwards was particularly moved by the history wall featured prominently in the Campus’ Pride Hall with highlights of the LGBT rights movement.

“It’s really fascinating and it’s important that people read it and see it,” he said. “The Center is just so at the forefront of the LGBT rights movement clearly and this new Campus highlights that.”

Attendee Darlene Gabriel also came away impressed after her tour of the Campus—especially the commercial teaching kitchen that houses a new Culinary Arts Program.

“We don’t have enough of this going on,” she said. “I especially like the culinary center where the youth can learn how to cook and actually get a job. I’m really happy to see all of this for the youth. They need to be given a chance.”

The kitchen will be staffed with youth (ages 18-24) and seniors (ages 50 and over) students who have completed a 12-week, 300-hour culinary training program.

Eric Gunter, who moved to Los Angeles from New York just last year,  remarked on how visible the Campus is in the community.

“I’m just so glad there is the LGBT Center out here so prominently on Santa Monica Boulevard,” Gunter said. “We have so many kids who come out here with no place to go and a lot of those kids are LGBTQ. Having a Center such as this really serves as a beacon of hope. It lets them know that it’s okay to be themselves and that the Center is here to help them on their journeys.”

Famous Faces

Among the celebrity guests at the block party were actor Tim Bagley, actor Jake Borelli, actress Lesley Ann-Brandt, actor Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, actor Wilson Cruz, actor Jordan Doww, actress Joely Fisher, actor Michael Hitchcock, YouTube star Miles Jai, choreographer Mark Kanemura,  reality star Lala Kent, actor Bex Taylor-Klaus, actress Shira Lazar, YouTube star MacDoesIt, actor Johnny Sibilly, actor Darryl Stephens, actress-dancer Alyson Stoner, actor Jason Stuart, music producer Shawn Wasabi, and producer Eugene Lee Yang.

“It’s so shiny and new and beautiful and everything that it means for the future is just the coolest thing to me,” Taylor-Klaus of TV’s Arrow  said. “The idea of youth and seniors together so everyone can learn from each other is exactly what we need. Everybody has something to teach whether they realize it or not and hopefully this way they’ll have a chance to realize it.”

Stephens, best-known for TV’s Noah’s Arc, declared that the new Campus is “showing the world that we are here, we’re not going anywhere, and we’re going to take care of each other. That is just incredibly important.”

See the full photo gallery here.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)

Related Posts

Slice, Slice Baby!

LGBTQ+ Youth, Seniors, and ‘Drag Race’ Queens Celebrate Chosen Family at Inaugural Intergenerational Thanksgiving Dinner

Dispensing Culturally Competent Care: The Center’s Patient-Centric Pharmacy Does Much More Than Fill Prescriptions

Comments are closed.

Upcoming Events

Feb 4
5:00 pm - 10:00 pm

The Future is Black 2023: Renaissance

Feb 9
February 9 - March 4

Cock

Mar 16
March 16 - April 16

Menstruation: A Period Piece

Apr 29
April 29 - June 24

A New Brain

May 13
May 13 - June 12

The Bottoming Process

View Calendar
About Us

LGBT News Now

LGBT News Now is a publication of the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2019, the Center is the largest LGBT organization in the world, dedicated to building a world where LGBT thrive as healthy, equal, and complete members of society. Learn more at lalgbtcenter.org.

Follow Us on Instagram

lalgbtcenter

The Los Angeles LGBT Center is building a world where LGBT people thrive as healthy, equal, and complete members of society.

Los Angeles LGBT Center
This is not a drill: There are active legislative This is not a drill: There are active legislative threats against our freedoms going up for vote across the country. We know most of these fights are not happening in California—but that’s precisely why our Center community can be of help. Join the Resistance Squad today by texting ‘RESIST’ to 33339 to help win this fight, and swipe through the slides to understand what’s happening. —>
Did you know that the Center hosts a Senior Prom f Did you know that the Center hosts a Senior Prom for our #LGBTQ+ #elders each year? A few years ago, we were visited by filmmakers who wanted to document the event in all its glory—and now their film is airing tonight on @PBS at 10PM PT. Please tune in to celebrate the amazing work of our Senior Services team and our real heroes, our incredible clients! And stay tuned later this year for more from our next installment of the Prom.
Our community at the Los Angeles LGBT Center exten Our community at the Los Angeles LGBT Center extends our deepest condolences to the loved ones of those we lost in the tragic mass shooting in #MontereyPark, and our well wishes to the survivors who are recovering. We remain committed to our hope for a peaceful and prosperous Los Angeles—without guns and hate.
We’re honored to join the @academymuseum as a Co We’re honored to join the @academymuseum as a Community Partner for the upcoming screening of Pat Rocco's Signs of Queer Life on January 26 at 7:30pm.

The trailblazing LA-based filmmaker and gay rights advocate, #PatRocco, captured seminal moments of LGBTQ history, joy and upsets. Check out a preview of his film #WeWereThere. Use discount code LGBTQ+ to get $2 off tickets to the screening! Link in our bio. 
 
#AcademyMuseum #LGBTQstories
The Center is proud to announce our inaugural thea The Center is proud to announce our inaugural theatre season! This year, we are partnering with local theatre companies to present nearly 100 showings of four remarkable plays to lift the depth and diversity of LGBTQ+ narratives. The line-up includes world premieres, an award-winning comedy, and a radically reimagined musical. Performances begin Feb. 9—Get your tickets now at lalgbtcenter.org/theatre, or at the link in our bio! 🎭 🎟️
SHE DID NOT COME TO PLAY! The one and only @bigfre SHE DID NOT COME TO PLAY! The one and only @bigfreedia, Queen of Bounce, is coming to the Los Angeles LGBT Center for #TheFutureIsBlack — our #BlackHistoryMonth event — and tickets are FREE to the public at the #linkinbio. Hear from Freedia and a dynamic roster of other Black talent, then dance the night away in our Renaissance-themed afterparty. Mark your calendars for Saturday, February 4th and get on that list at the link in bio before it closes.
Today we commemorate one of our nation’s most pr Today we commemorate one of our nation’s most preeminent civil rights leaders— the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.— who left us a transformative legacy rooted in service and community. His noble actions blueprinted monuments of unity across the country, and especially, here at home in Los Angeles. On this #MLKDayofService, we are reminded of our ability to champion equity and justice for all.
 
#DrKing #MLKDay
We at the Los Angeles LGBT Center are deeply distu We at the Los Angeles LGBT Center are deeply disturbed by the videos depicting the tragic deaths of three Angelenos, and join the Mayor in calling for urgent police reform and accountability. Swipe through for our full statement.

#TakarSmith #KeenanAnderson #OscarSanchez
Get ready, LA! Join us in community as we ring in Get ready, LA! Join us in community as we ring in Center South’s 3rd Anniversary Celebration on January 21st from 12-4PM! The joyous afternoon event will offer self-guided tours, dynamic performances, food, prizes, health services, and more. Register for free at lalgbtcenter.org/centersouth3year or with the link in bio! We can’t wait to see you there 🏳️‍🌈☀️
 
PS: Did you know Center South is located in the heart of #SouthLosAngeles, just steps away from historic #LeimertPark? The site offers free (or low cost) year-round health services and STI testing for all #Angelenos. 

#LosAngeles #LGBTQ
Load More... Follow on Instagram
Stay Connected
Subscribe
Copyright © 2022 Los Angeles LGBT Center
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy
  • Contact Us

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.