L5P Community Center

In 1982 several community groups primarily led by WRFG Radio, asked for a 10 year lease on the closed school building at 1083 Austin Ave NE in Atlanta, the old Moreland School. The school board first leased and then sold the building to the new non-profit corporation set up to own and manage the building.

Mindful of the threat that rising costs would push non-profit arts and service groups out of the neighborhoods where they developed and which they served; L5PCC, Inc. has endeavored to provide low-cost space for community-based non-profit groups. The Center’s governance has always included the participation of resident companies and community leaders. The Center is in its year of providing this facility to the community.

Early on, the Center attracted a serious theater company in the Horizon Theatre Co. The Georgia Solar Coalition and Metro Fair Housing Services were long time tenants of the Center and have moved on to successful programs and services elsewhere. A major community Arts organization was among the original companies in the Center. The Euclid Arts Collective has produced and sheltered many of Atlanta’s most promising and accomplished visual artists. Overcoming problems with old boilers and drainage, the Center paid off its mortgage to the School Board in 2007.

Overall, the enterprise has been an ongoing success. As the Center’s resident companies have changed and new ones have joined the mix, a need for a renovated environment for more mature organizations was realized. Accordingly, the Center began a major capital fundraising effort in 2006. This campaign has already resulted in new sidewalks and a new driveway. An elevator and other improvements are scheduled for 2008-2009.

The Center has become a major factor in the community just as planned. Neighbors, funders, neighborhood organizations and the general public around the region are involved in Center participation. The future looks hopeful for another 25 years of service to our community.