The Brick House

The Brick House

Type	Non-profit
Industry	Community Centers
Founded	1999 in the Highlands
Headquarters	Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Website	The Brycc House

The Brick House (also known as The Brycc House) is a community center in Louisville, Kentucky that was inspired by and modeled upon ABC No Rio in New York City. The Brycc House is organized in "Do-It-Yourself" (DIY) volunteer working groups to support community based projects. The community center projects contains groups in areas that work with art, music, bike repairs, radio station, photography, internet access, comics, gardening, power saving practices, entrepreneurship, a lending library, a free clothing closet, and maintenance of the building. As a youth center, it has inspired numerous youth in the region to create something similar in their towns, such as the Mycc Stand (Madison Youth Cultural Center) in Madison, Indiana.^{[citation needed]}

History

The Old Brycc House location on Bardstown Road in the Highlands neighborhood

The Brycc House began as the Bardstown Road Youth Cultural Center (or BRYCC). The Brycc House was born in 1999 when Bill Allison, a candidate for Third Ward Alderman, met with the staff of Brat Magazine to discuss their concerns about city government and youth issues. One of the things that the Brat staff wanted was a youth-run youth center which would mimic their current venue/volunteer run bookstore called Verbavore. The first BRYCC House building would be located on Bardstown Road, the north end which is a major pedestrian-oriented commercial and residential district in Louisville. Allison agreed that this would be a good idea since many voters and constituents had expressed concerns about juveniles wandering the streets. With different views on the topic about the juveniles it was decided by the staff to help give them a place for the youth. Allison promised to get money for the center if the Brat staff would put together a proposal and form a nonprofit corporation to run the center. However in the year 2000 the Brat Magazine would reach a standstill due to a variety of internal conflicts, even though some of its staff would remain working with the Brycc House to this day.

Bill Allison would help the organization become nonprofit. Brycc House Inc, (Bardstown Road Youth Cultural Center) was formed in 1999 and obtained IRS 501(c)(3) status shortly thereafter. After several months of searching, the group found a building across from an old theater turned antique store on Bardstown Road in the Highlands neighborhood and opened Brick House as a community youth center.

BRYCC House successfully supported a variety of community projects, such as a radio station (which started as Internet radio), then successfully opened as WXBH-FM 92.7 community radio; a lending library and zine collection; visual arts studio with darkroom facilities; a public performance space for music, theater, film and more; a community computer lab and meeting space for community groups; host to regional and national conferences and much more. Several community organizations shared office and work space, such as KFTC-Kentuckians for the Commonwealth and Food Not Bombs.

Even with the grant money from the city of Louisville and donations, paying the extraordinary rent was difficult and the center chose to put on music shows constantly for some time to meet expenses. Eventually the Brycc House would close its doors in 2001 due to financial situations. The organizers of the center would later considering attempting to purchase the location rather than paying rent. But then later decided to seek a new location.

In late 2002 the current building was purchased, in the centrally located Old Louisville neighborhood. The building was in rough shape but affordable and was in a terrific central location. The building is spacious (40'x120') and solidly built (metal frame, metal roof, concrete floor) with multiple work, community and performance spaces. BRYCC House volunteers cleaned and painted and have high hopes of completely renovating it in time as an ecological friendly building.

Following the purchase of the location the Brycc House became known as just the Brick House Community Center since it was no longer located on Bardstown Road. Several different sets of volunteers organized and reformed the mission and the vision accordingly ... initially the group called themselves PhaseII or worked entirely in isolated collectives until the community would finally begin to publicize its meetings again in 2004 and celebrate its Birthday Bash in April 2005 with a music concerts over a weekend. After the opening one of the new key developments was the attraction of a variety of ages rather just the youth.

The first few weeks of reopening were difficult following several buglaries and thefts. However the center rebounded, but organizers still talk of low volunteer levels and fundings. However the organization has started to receive funds from a variety of community partners as individuals, non-profit foundations and local businesses and mutual interest groups such as the Kentucky Foundation for Women, Garvin Gate Blues Festival and Second Street Neighborhood Association. Much of their success can be attributed to groups like the Fairness Campaign who have led workshops such as funds raising and outreach development as well as Peace Education, Just Solutions and The Third Avenue Cafe in the form of In-Kind donations and services support. Other important community partners now include WENCH, Kentucky Women's Art Collective (KYWAC) and several area churches that host events for the Brycc House.

Recent decisions by the Board of Directors have led to a reclaiming the BRYCC House name as a renewed interest in the DIY ethics associated with providing skill share and hands-on experience with shared resources. Several grants were written and obtained with the idea that BRYCC folk stood for Building Resources Yielding Cultural Change as a means of taking programming beyond the doors of the center and out into under-served communities who might partner with the goals of direct action as cultural change through oppression-free methods of interaction and community support. Current efforts include a 4 year process of 'Greenovating' the building to become a series of working models for reduction on energy dependency, promotion of alternative products which reduce natural resource impacts, and expansion of options for folks interested in working with experts and new ideas for career and self-engaged enrichment of lifestyles.

Conventions and other major events

As a part of the new location's mission to broaden their community involvement beyond music, the Brycc House has helped organize and host events. This is in part to separate itself from just being a local music scene much like the previous incarnation of the Brycc House became known for, and to help establish itself as a community center for everyone.

Examples of such events have been a Southern Girls Convention, Independent Festival of Education, IWW National Conference, Permanent Autonomous Zone (PAZ) Conference, Insomniacathon, Insomniacathon, Bike Bike SE featuring a community bike ride, an art show, a day for mountaintop removal awareness, a burlesque show, and additional music concerts and plays.

External links

• Official website