Report Shines Light on Raleigh LGBTQ Community’s Historic Spaces

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Good morning, readers.

The onetime Sir Walter Raleigh Hotel (now apartments), the Rialto Theater, and Pullen Memorial Baptist Church are all spaces of historical significance to the City of Oaks and its residents. 

But before the gay liberation movement in the 1970s, when being out began to become more widely socially accepted, these spaces were also important to members of Raleigh’s queer community as places where residents and visitors could meet and gather, although somewhat clandestinely. 

Today, the Raleigh Historic Development Commission (RHDC) will present a 200-page report to the city council that explores the city’s LGBTQIA+ historic context. 

At a cost of $35,000, consultants began their research for the project in 2019 and drew on community meetings, online surveys, archival records, photos, and oral histories to produce the report, which is the first of its kind in the state. 

While acknowledging the challenges inherent in doing such work—spaces were usually kept secret for peoples’ protection and news reports on spaces for the queer community were often sensationalized—the report recommends ways to further the research and suggests that the city evaluate a total of 20 spaces for designation as historic landmarks. 

Read about the report below and have a good Tuesday.

 —Jane

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