Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center
How can we leverage the authenticity of place to tell the story of Stonewall and its continued legacy?
Overview
The Opportunity:
On June 24, 2016, President Barack Obama officially designated the Stonewall National Monument, making it the first national monument dedicated to the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement. We worked with Pride Live, the LGBTQ+ community organization behind Stonewall Day, to transform the neighboring building at 51 Christopher Street into the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center, the first LGBTQ+ visitor center within the National Park Service. We were asked to preserve, advance, and celebrate the legacy of the Stonewall Rebellion, while introducing a new generation of advocates and pioneers to those who came before them.
The Vision
We responded with an experience that helps visitors learn about the Stonewall Rebellion and its role in the larger LGBTQ+ civil rights movement, and drives them to take action to advance LGBTQ+ rights.
The Approach
Our exhibition leverages the authenticity of the Stonewall Inn's history and grounds it in the context of Greenwich Village, showing how the Stonewall Rebellion was both a community event and a turning point, whose impact we still feel today.
Partners
EDG Architects
Services
Concept Design, Exhibition Design, Design Development, Documentation
The Details
Fight Like Hell
"In the name of those who came before me, I pledge to be brave, to be true to myself, and to fight like hell for equality." These words from co-founder Diana Rodriguez are emblazoned on a lighting installation at the entrance to the center — a vibrant and galvanizing message to all who enter.
Historic Greenwich Village, the Uprising, and the Future
Historic Greenwich Village, the Uprising, and the Future
Our historic timeline features lively archival photos and a color scheme that uses pops of color and subtle gradients to show how chapters of history are distinct yet interwoven. It explores three key periods of history surrounding Stonewall: Greenwich Village as the nation’s first LGBTQ+ enclave, the story of how a routine police raid sparked the Stonewall Rebellion, and how the spirit of Stonewall expanded LGBTQ+ organizing, including the passage of marriage equality in 2015 and the fight against HIV/AIDS.
The Sounds of Pride…and Rebellion
In collaboration with Amazon, DJ and Producer Honey Dijon curated music for a 1967 Rowe AMI jukebox, the same make and model that was playing on the first night of the Rebellion The Jukebox sits prominently within the historic timeline exhibition, featuring songs that capture the rebellious spirit of the Stonewall activists, reflect life for LGBTQ+ people in 1969, and touch on themes of love, joy, and rebellion.
