It was announced this week that the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center will be opening in just a few months — in a new, and much larger, home than was originally projected.
In a press conference Wednesday, the organizers of the Lehigh Valley LGBT center announced that on Monday they finalized the purchase of a property at 522 W. Maple St. in Allentown that spans 13,000 square feet.
The center was originally set for a 7,000 square-foot space that backers planned to buy from the city of Allentown for $1; however, “significant environmental conditions” and high construction costs halted that plan.
“It’s going to be a significant-sized community center,” Bradbury-Sullivan executive director Adrian Shanker told PGN. “It’s certainly larger than the previous building and also doesn’t need any construction.”
The new space is located in the heart of the downtown business district, and next to a parking garage that will be opening in January.
Plans for the center were announced in June 2014, when a fundraising campaign was unveiled. The organization is named for longtime Lehigh Valley activists Liz Bradbury and Dr. Patricia Sullivan.
When it opens its doors next year, it will become only the sixth LGBT community center in the state.
Weichert Realtors Allentown assistant manager Rob Ritter served as the buyer’s agent and will donate a portion of his commission to the project. The financing for the sale was arranged by Lehigh Financial Group’s Jeff Barber and Lewis Edwards.
“Nonprofit financing is among the hardest to get done, nationally, so when you can get financing for an organization like this, it really speaks to the strength of that organization,” Barber said. “People’s First did something not many lenders do for nonprofits, but Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center is a very thorough organization. They have very strong management and organization.”
Pro-bono legal services were provided by attorneys Tim Brennan and Michael Recchiuti, and design assistance by Don Kohn from Kohn Engineering, Michael Eversole from Barry Isett & Associates, Chris Brown of Brown Design Corps., Joe McCarthy of J&P Engineers and Christopher Bleschmidt of Lock Ridge Engineering.