Archinect - News

The 'Stonewall Forever' augmented reality monument celebrates 50 years of LGBTQ Pride history

2019-06-05T17:31:00-04:00

The Stonewall Riots in June 1969 set forth the fight for LGBTQ rights that continues today. To honor the last five decades of its lasting impact, the LGBT Community Center of NYC teamed up with the National Park Service, with support from Google, to create an interactive, augmented reality monument called “Stonewall Forever”, which commemorates the 50th anniversary of Stonewall and aims to preserve LGBTQ history and amplify voices from the community.

"We hope that this effort lifts up a broad array of voices and creates a connection to Stonewall's legacy for people everywhere,” the Stonewall Forever website states.

The rainbow “living monument” lets users scroll through scores of videos, a documentary film, historic photos, audio, and text that tell the ever-growing, multi-faceted story of the LGBTQ community. Also, anyone anywhere can add their own images and text to the monument.

In 2017, Google.org — the tech giant's philanthropic arm — granted $1 million to the LGBT Community Ce...

Queer Spaces, Intersections, LGBT Historic Sites: Urban Omnibus launches new series

2018-02-22T14:32:00-05:00

As designers and urbanists engage with LGBTQ+ identity, what role do gender and sexuality play in the preservation, design, and management of urban space today? [...] Marginalization means invisibility, both in history and space. New efforts seek to reclaim and preserve queer histories inscribed in sites across the city.

Urban Omnibus, a publication of the Architectural League of New York, recently launched its new series Intersections: Surfacing (guest-edited by Jacob R. Moore), allowing a more informed look at issues of gender and sexuality in the context of design & urban history.

Obama administration to designate Stonewall as America's first LGBT memorial

2016-05-05T18:41:00-04:00

New York's iconic Stonewall Inn, where the modern gay rights movement took root, will become the first national monument honoring the history of gays and lesbians in the U.S. under a proposal President Barack Obama is preparing to approve. Designating the small swath of land will mark a major act of national recognition for gay rights advocates and their struggles over the last half-century.

Originally built as stables in the 1840s, the Stonewall Inn was the site of historic riots after police raided the LGBT bar on June 28, 1969. While such raids were then common, that night the bar-goers fought back – in the process helping to catalyze the LGBT liberation movement.

The news was timed to coincide with LGBT Pride month, which is held in June each year in commemoration of Stonewall. While the article specifies the monument as honoring the history of gays and lesbians, it's important to note the pivotal role transgender individuals played in the uprising.

According to AP, the Obama administration is considering including nearby Christopher Park in the historic designation.

In related news:

...