A nonprofit representing the city’s cultural centers took another step forward this week with its plans to build a central hub for the organizations as it looks to raise about $7.7 million more for the project.
The Cultural Centers of Lincoln Collaborative broke ground on a new building Wednesday that promises to be a unifying location for cultural resources.
“This project is about so much more than a building for the staff and leadership of our cultural centers,” said Shiela Dorsey Vinton, executive director of the Asian Community and Cultural Center. “It represents stability and recognition. We will finally have a dedicated home we own.”
When it’s finished, the 62,000-square-foot building at 949 N. 22nd St. will house the Asian Community and Cultural Center and El Centro De Las Américas, as well as child care space for the Malone Center and a food distribution hub for the Good Neighbor Community Center.
The $22.7 million project will be funded through a public-private capital campaign that has already raised about $15 million, including a $5 million grant from the Community Health Endowment and $1 million from the Duncan Aviation Family Trust. The Lancaster County Board also allocated $3.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to the project.
Construction on the building is set to start next spring and wrap up in 2027.
In addition to offices, the building will include classrooms, a welcome center, a kitchen and community space.
The cultural centers selected the site near 21st and Vine Streets, once home to Cushman Motorworks and now owned by the university, to reach people who need resources the most, said Russ Gronewold, the president of Bryan Health and chair of the Community Health Endowment. That data was based on a health mapping effort called Place Matters.
Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts
“By putting this facility in a place where poverty is the highest and disparities are the starkest, this project produces those who need it most, connecting families to food, early childhood programs, cultural resources and more, all in one accessible location,” Gronewold said at the groundbreaking Wednesday.
He said a community’s health doesn’t just depend on resources like hospitals, but also human connection and working together to make people feel secure.
Lancaster County commissioner Sean Flowerday said the cultural center is an investment that will bring people together.
“This center will provide programs and experiences for all ages and walks of life, serve as a gathering place for the broader community and offer resources and support for healthy living where they need it the very most,” Flowerday said.
In the new building, the Asian Community Cultural Center will have more space, a therapy room and a better ability to host events to share meals and cultural traditions, Dorsey Vinton said.
Roméo Guerra, the executive director of El Centro de las Américas, said the new location will allow El Centro to have more events on site instead of having to find other spaces and be more identifiable.
“The location is much more convenient for a lot of our clients and so forth,” Guerra said. “So I think, all in all, we’re gonna provide more services, but also I think we’re going to grow into other areas.”
If you had asked him when he was growing up as a boy in Kenya in one of the poorest neighborhoods, Tom Randa, the chair for the Cultural Centers of Lincoln and the executive director of the Good Neighbor Community Center, said that he would have never imagined breaking ground on a $22 million project.
“What I’ve learned is this: It only takes one person believing in you to make a difference and if the belief of one person can change the direction of a life, imagine what happens when a lot of people come together, living, supporting and investing in you,” Randa said. “That is what has carried me from Kenya to this place today.”
Reach the writer at nfranklin@journalstar.com or 402-473-7391.
On Twitter @NealHFranklin
Love
0
Funny
0
Wow
0
Sad
0
Angry
0
Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter.
* I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Neal Franklin
Business reporter
Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily!
Your notification has been saved.
There was a problem saving your notification.
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Followed notifications
Please log in to use this feature
Log In
Don’t have an account? Sign Up Today