Call Number:

Coll.21

Repository:

John J. Wilcox, Jr. LGBT Archives, William Way LGBT Community Center

Extent:

38.75 linear feet

Language:

English

Date:

1972-2012 (inclusive)

Creator:

William Way Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center (Philadelphia, Pa.).

Abstract:

Since the 1970s the William Way Community Center and its predecessors, the Gay Community Center of Philadelphia and Penguin Place, have provided encouragement, support, and advocacy for the well-being and acceptance of sexual and gender minorities through service, recreational, educational, and cultural programming. The William Way LGBT Community Center records, 1972-2012, are comprised of the institutional records of the center, including administrative and financial records, and some photographs, ephemera, and newsletters.

The direct descendant of the William Way Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center is the Gay Community Center of Philadelphia (GCCP), which was located at 326 Kater Street from April 1976 to November 23, 1981. From 1982 to 1995, the organization continued as Penguin Place.

"The William Way Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center was formed in 1996, when a group of community leaders came together with the goal of creating a stronger, more stable community center out of Penguin Place, the community center at the time.

"After an extensive search, the Community Center purchased the former Engineers' Club of Philadelphia in March 1997. Soon after, renovations began, and the building opened to the public in July 1997. Since then, the Center has developed an array of programming and services that target LGBT groups, and community organizations have moved permanent offices into the Community Center. In addition, over 70 groups meet at the Community Center on a regular basis, and many more use the facility for special events. The building is open seven days a week and is currently [as of 2012] used by over 2,500 people each month."

Bibliography:

Quoted text from: William Way Community Center. "About Us." Accessed June 25, 2012. http://waygay.org/aboutus/default.asp.

This collection is comprised of the institutional records of the William Way Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center. The records span from the organization's founding as the Gay Community Center of Philadelphia (GCCP), through the period it was known as Penguin Place, to its current appellation, the William Way Community Center. The collection consists of administrative records, financial records, and event photographs.

The administrative records include Board minutes (1972-1995), correspondence, visitors and volunteers logs, press releases, event-related materials, and other types of documents. There are files of ephemera and newsletters dating from the start of GCCP (1974) through the present (2012).

The financial records in the collection include materials such as: reports, treasurer's records, invoices, deposit slips, fiscal pledges, bank statements, and utility bills.

The collection also includes a small number of event photographs, circa 2000s.