The Center

This modest brick house at 703 Berry Road was once home to the Center for Gay, Lesbian, Bi and Transgender Life, but was more commonly referred to as simply The Center. It opened in February 1991 after the Tennessee Gay and Lesbian Alliance disbanded. Nashville’s previous gay community center was the Compton House run by the Metropolitan Community Church, but it was short-lived and dissolved in the mid-1970s.

The Center had a regular volunteer staff and hosted a crisis hotline seven days a week. They served about 250 people each month. Local LGBTQ rights activist Penny Campbell was a central figure in The Center’s operations and served as one of its board of directors. Campbell, a mental health professional, ran the One-In-Teen program at The Center, which was a support group for lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth. Other local LGBTQ organizations used the house as well. For example, the Tennessee Vals held their meetings inside The Center from 1993-1994. The Tennessee Vals have the distinction as the oldest, continually operating transgender support group in the state.

The Center also sponsored lectures and public programs on homosexuality, religion, political issues, health, and more. They housed a small library filled with books and magazines covering LGBTQ topics. During June, the backyard served as a Pride carnival space for watermelon-eating contests and a dunk tank. The Center moved out of its original home in Berry Hill to an office at 961 Woodland St. in 2001, and was renamed the Rainbow Community Center. For decades, The Center was a place of refuge, support, education—and of course some fun!

Back on Berry Road, continue west until you reach Franklin Pike/ Eighth Avenue South. Turn RIGHT onto Franklin Pike; the next stop will be on your left. This will be about The Chute and Warehouse 28, gay clubs that were practically neighbors on this street. The Chute was located at 2535 Franklin Pike, where the M.L. Rose building is located today. Warehouse 28 was just up the street at 2529 Franklin Pike, now a Firestone Auto Care. You can park at M.L. Rose and walk down to see both buildings, as well as the historical marker for Warehouse 28.