It was my first time walking to the Latinx/e Cultural Center (LCC) house on Friday, Aug. 29, when I immediately noticed the pretty berry and flower bushes lining the steps up the door, the comfort of the enclosed porch and the striking mahogany appearance of the wood. Joining a bustling group of first years excited for the LCC’s open house event, I entered the house and my eyes eagerly scanned the kitchen and the living room of the lower floor. Immediately, a sense of comfort and freedom filled the atmosphere.
The LCC was part of an open house walk targeting all first-year students regardless of background, where all the other cultural houses were also open for visits. Previously, the Latinx/e affinity space gathered in the Joe Rosenfield `25 Center (JRC), but it was announced in May 2024 that Windsor House at 1026 Park St. would become its permanent address as a residential community space. Over the summer, most of the house’s renovations were completed, including the addition of furniture, different layouts of the bathrooms and kitchen, and new carpeting.
I myself am a Latinx/e first-year student, and the house felt quite inviting, complete with an assortment of folk art, snacks and a friendly communal living space. A few Student Organization of the Latines (SOL) members attended the event, as well as new first-year Latinx/e students unfamiliar with SOL and the LCC.
Assistant Director of Intercultural Affairs and Latinx/e specialist, Adriana Torres, who also identifies with the Latinx/e community, said she is very excited about the LCC house and already has plans for how to use the space. “It’s a blank canvas, so I get to decorate and bring certain things to this center … that students want to see on campus … especially the Latine community,” she said.
Torres said she hopes that with the open house and the grand opening events, all types of students will visit the center. “The center, like any other center, is open to anyone. It’s a great space to come, see the community but also learn about different communities within the center … because Latin America is so big and broad and the center touches on all of them as much as possible,” Torres said.
She also said she feels that her position as Latinx/e student specialist is a great way to be a part of the Latine community. “It’s such a beautiful feeling, because I get to manage a space where I get to work with my population of students,” said Torres.
However, the renovation of Windsor House to make it the LCC began in the past year. “It’s a process … the renovation itself took about a year or so,” she said. Torres said she hopes that this new space for the Latinx/e community in Grinnell will bring everyone together.
“At the beginning of the semester, it gets a little hectic, but I did like that students came by and were able to be in community,” said Torres. The open house was geared to first-year students, and Torres says that as time goes by with the opening of the LCC, she suggests to first years who are finding their way, “People are here to help you. Take the help. And also, don’t be afraid to ask for help. And I think that’s what the LCC is bringing to the table as well.”
This past Wednesday, Sept. 3, the house hosted an official grand opening event open to all campus. Complete with a food truck, the event attracted a wide audience that stretched across the Grinnell community.
