#community-preservation

#community-preservation

Have you ever wondered what to do with the piles of Advocate or Out magazines you've collected through the years? Or swag you've collected at Pride events that you keep in storage boxes in closets? What about those ticket stubs to Melissa Etheridge concerts you kept religiously? LGBTQ+ archives throughout the country seek to create a home for those artifacts to help preserve queer history.

Three years ago, with development plans looming, The Golden Skate's owner Hassan Sharifi vowed to remain open indefinitely after receiving an overwhelming outpouring of support for one of the last two roller rinks in Contra Costa County and the greater East Bay. By that time, the 3.5-acre property had already been in limbo for two years after San Ramon's Planning Commission approved Sharifi's pitch for Windflower Fields, a 47-townhome development in eight three-story buildings on his land near Interstate 680 and the Diablo mountain range.

The Most Holy Redeemer Church, designed in German Baroque style and completed in 1851, has served as a community center for East Village Catholics and a New York architectural landmark.

"I've always believed that design isn't just about how something looks, it's about how it works in people's lives."

For loyal area residents, however, a restoration seemed to be a way to keep longtime residents on the neighborhood's narrow streets, and a new name was one of the first steps.

The goal is to think about the future of our city and what kind of community we want to be. I believe that we need to be a city that has housing opportunities for our middle-class workers.

"I started out in spaces like this as a young actor here in New York City... where you could come and work out your talent, where it wasn't really expensive."

The room that housed the gym where Louis trained remains in the building's basement. But the center had become so dilapidated that it faced a wrecking ball about a decade ago, Mayor Mike Duggan said.

Alan Selwyn, planning lead at the Belsize Society, expressed delight that the pub's significance has been recognized, aiming to collaborate with owners for community benefits.