Opening day, on purpose

A new immigrant cultural center opened Tuesday morning on West 206th Street in Manhattan, timed to the first day of Hispanic and Latin American Heritage Month.

Eighteen years in the making

The project started as the People's Theatre Project in a one-bedroom Inwood apartment. It took 18 years to reach a permanent home of its own.

“Welcome to your home, the People's Theatre Centro Cultural Immigrante”

What fills the building

The 19,000-square-foot facility holds two rehearsal spaces, two music rooms, a cafe, and community and performance areas. Neighbors are already planning concerts there.

“A lot of activities and everything we do, we're going to do concerts and music”

191 lights, one address

A custom chandelier hangs over the space with 191 lights, a nod to 191st Street, where co-founder Mino Lora first built the organization.

“a reminder of 191st Street, where this organization began”

Lin-Manuel Miranda takes the stage

Miranda spoke at the opening, and a second, smaller stage carries his family's name. He framed the center as a place where immigrant stories stay part of New York's record.

“ensure that the immigrant experience remains a key part of the city's cultural storybook”

A mural about the crossing

A two-story mural called Liquid Highway covers the walls, built around migration. Lora calls the building living, a place to create, learn, organize and connect.

“It's a highway that we take many of us to come here when we emigrate from other places”