Q House Gala Celebrates 100 Years

One hundred years after the Q House first opened its doors, the reborn Dixwell community center capped a year of centenary celebrations with a fundraiser gala.

That gala took place on Sept. 27 at the Q House at 197 Dixwell Ave.

Dixwell Alder Jeanette Morrison told the Independent that roughly 300 people attended the ceremony, which raised around $60,000 for the ongoing operations of the Black New Haven cultural landmark and Dixwell community hub.

The Q House first opened in 1924 as a settlement house for African Americans moving north as part of the Great Migration. The community center closed in 2003 due to a lack of funding. It reopened in 2021, in its third and present building, after years of advocacy by Dixwell community leaders and city politicians.

“For a century, Dixwell Q House has been a beacon of hope, a center of community life, and a hub for growth and development,” Morrison, who is also the chair of the Q House Advisory Board, wrote in welcoming remarks for the gala. ​“From the early days of its inception to today, Q House has provided invaluable services, support, and a safe haven for countless individuals and families.”

“Throughout the years, the Q House has provided a safe place for youth activity, a gathering site for community social life and civic engagement, and a center for education and community development,” added Charles Warner, Jr., who, along with Morrison, is a co-chair of the Dixwell Q House Centennial Year. ​“As we celebrate our heritage, we also chart a new course towards the future with the new incarnation of the Q House.”

The Sept. 27 gala honored former Q House Associate Director Jacqueline Bracey, Community Foundation for Greater New Haven Senior Director of Grantmaking and Nonprofit Support Jackie Downing, architect and World War II veteran Edward E. Cherry, and fellow veteran and Q House devotee Milton ​“Uncle Chip” Collins.

Click on the video below to watch an interview with Morrison on WNHH’s ​“Love Babz” radio show, all about the Q House gala.