A dedicated new home

The center’s prior location was in the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center, tucked into a “room and a half,” according to O’Neill — hardly enough space for its own staff, let alone the Brown students who visited the center. Center events had to be booked elsewhere, social gatherings spilled into hallways, and though staff tried to make the space as accommodating as possible, it was clear the goals of the center had outgrown what the third-floor office space allowed it to achieve.

O’Neill said it was important that the new space be fully accessible, with room for an elevator, a kitchen and a larger restroom. It needed to evoke feelings of warmth, joy and home-like comfort. And it needed to be proudly visible.

The project’s inspiration was sparked roughly four years ago, when the Gledhills visited Rowan on campus and saw the LGBTQ Center bursting at its seams. By Spring 2021, wheels were in motion to renovate the existing Benevolent Street property for use as Stonewall House. Working with Facilities Management, students, staff and faculty affiliated with the center actively participated in the development of the space. They helped to select Kite Architects and Pezzuco Construction to refine the building’s form and function, and through multiple conversations, the designers and contractors learned how the space would be used.

The final result is a testament to the importance and centrality of Brown’s LGBTQ+ community, said Vice President for Campus Life Eric Estes.

For one, there’s actually room for students. There’s integrated technology and large television screens for speaking engagements, presentations and movie nights. A conference room can be used as classroom space and makes it possible for the center to host multiple events at once, which was impossible previously. There are places for students to participate in telehealth appointments in privacy, relax and play games.

“We can include everyone, especially those who may have felt physically disconnected from or left out of the center, like medical or grad students,” said Danae Lopez, a sophomore who works as the center’s digital communications and publicity coordinator. “Stonewall House just lets us brings so much more to the forefront of queer community at Brown.”

To retain the charm of the original home, designers preserved as many historical details as possible. They kept all eight fireplaces in the home and restored its carriage doors. Many of the floors are original hardwood, bearing intricate floral-design inlays; the only exception is the center’s tiled Garden Room, which was designed as an arts space where messes can be easily cleaned and won’t cause damage.

The new space and resources also enable the center to take a more holistic approach to attend to LGBTQ+ students’ needs.

On the second floor, for example, a room with two large built-in closets is covered in floor-to-ceiling mirrors; it serves as space for the center’s Clothing Exchange Initiative, in which students are building an inclusive “library” of queer style, experimenting with gender-affirming presentations, and sampling different clothing in a more private and supportive environment.

Though simple, the presence of these spaces can be life-changing, O’Neill said.

“There are queer and trans students, and just people in general, who can go years or what can feel like a lifetime without feeling like they have a home or that they’re being accepted, seen and valued in particular ways,” O’Neill said.

When envisioning the new location, the Gledhills believed it was crucial that there be a house — not just a center in the traditional sense, or a couple of different offices put together — but something that really felt like a home, where everyone was embraced.

The welcoming atmosphere and sense of family is one element that drew junior Emily Cigarroa to the LGBTQ Center, where she works as an events coordinator.

Joining the center as a first-year student was “the first time I was really able to have relationships with queer adults in my life, to talk with them and get life advice and mentorship and guidance,” she said. “Having that kind of presence in your life can be really stabilizing.”

It also provided Cigarroa with a safe haven where she feels comfortable in all aspects of her identity. “I think sometimes I forget what a privilege it is and how cool it is to be able to freely be myself,” she said.

With the new location, Cigarroa said she’s most excited to help others achieve that same feeling of being welcomed. “Brown is really exceptional in how many queer students there are, and in our variety — there’s no one type of queer student here,” she said. And while Cigarroa said her personal experience as a queer person at Brown has been overwhelmingly positive, she understands that might not hold true for every student on campus — which further underscores the importance of having a dedicated space like Stonewall House.

That's a sentiment echoed by Estes, who noted how rare identity centers were in higher education settings until recently — let alone ones with standalone buildings and robust programming.

“When I was in college, places like this didn’t exist,” Estes said. “So I think it’s important — really important — to celebrate the wins and how much progress happens over time.”   

Looking back, moving forward

Stonewall House is an ode to that progress.

The legacy of the center was critical to the Gledhills during the building’s dedication. In considering the center’s past and future, the Gledhills said they decided that they didn’t want their name on the outside of the building. Instead, “we wanted a name that would encompass everyone who’s come before us and everyone who will carry the flag on after us,” Katie Gledhill said.

They landed on Stonewall House, in honor of the 1969 Stonewall uprising in New York, widely considered one of the most important events in the gay rights movement.

O’Neill said the name was an instant hit and a perfect fit.

“Our understanding of the history of Stonewall has changed a lot and really reflects the experiences and the makeup of our LGBTQ+ community here at Brown,” said O’Neill, noting that the community comprises not just queer people, but international students, people of color, and trans and nonbinary folks. “It’s a critical way for us to think about the larger community that we’re providing resources and space for.”

Over the course of 18 years at Brown, the LGBTQ Center has grown from a single part-time student position into an office with a director, assistant director, graduate student coordinator and 17 undergraduate staff members. With Stonewall House, further growth is all but guaranteed.

“I’m a big believer that visible, geographical, structural messages matter a lot,” said Estes, who said that upon his arrival at Brown six years ago, strengthening the identity centers was a top goal. “Our presence matters. Our contributions inside and outside the classroom matter, and this could not come at a more important time.”

The institutional support behind the center is meaningful, O’Neill said. And like the progress pride flag welcoming the community into the new space, it represents an upward trajectory intentionally designed to uplift others for years to come.

“For Brown to be saying, ‘This is a priority; this is a space that we really need; this is a space that we understand as being part of a larger puzzle of speaking to human rights here in Rhode Island and beyond’ is really essential,” she said. “It’s a commitment that you can see in space, increased funding and just what this is going to make possible for us.”