Dufty Approaches City with Library / Gay History Partnership

by Nancy Norstad for the San Francisco Spectrum

It was a red-letter day for San Francisco's GLBT Historical Society when 8th District Supervisor Bevan Dufty locked onto the idea of rebuilding the Eureka Valley Branch Library at 16th and Noe at Market Street with plans to include a section of the new structure to house the GLBT Museum and Archives.

Peter Lundberg, Co-chair of the Historical Society Board sees this move as a perfect repositioning of the organization, which has long deserved a more prominent role in the cultural life of San Francisco. "Just being able to be a part of Dufty's pet project, the Castro Renaissance, gives us much needed press and visibility to raise awareness for our organization. The location would be phenomenal, right on the beaten path of the LGBT tourists as they traverse between The Center and the Castro."

Dufty says that a partnership between a civic entity and a non-profit organization is not unheard of. He models his idea for the Eureka Valley Library after the Schomburg Center in Harlem. The Shomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is a national research library devoted to collecting, preserving and providing access to resources documenting the experiences of peoples of African descent throughout the world. The New York Public Library's Schomburg Center contains over 5,000,000 items and provides services and programs for constituents from the United States and abroad. Dufty sees the potential for San Francisco's Public Library partnering a world-class history center for LGBT culture, and therefore becoming another "Only in San Francisco" international tourism destination.

The building is expected to cost upwards of $20,000,000, but Dufty is confident that there is federal funding potentially available ("depending on the outcome of the election," he muses.), and confident that a number of private donors will be excited about funding the project on a namesake basis.

Meanwhile, Lundberg and the board at the GLBT Historical Society are busy garnering support for this project in their own sector. "It really beginning to feel like a Cinderella moment," grins Lundberg. "It just feels like a perfect fit."

GGBA, the first LGBT
chamber of commerce.

Positive Resource Center, providing employment services and benefits counseling to the SF Bay Area HIV community.

© 1999-2006 All Rights Reserved
Web Hosting and Design by CB-Solutions.net
A Cherry Business Solutions Company