Dunbar Tower (121 Catherine St)

The AAHC and Avalon formed a Community Advisory Board called the Community Leadership Council (CLC) whose members are multi-generational Black former and current residents of the neighborhood and local Black artists and entrepreneurs. The CLC-led community process determined that the public purpose of the​ first floor space is to: educate the public about the history of Black residents and the historically Black neighborhood; support Black artists and entrepreneurs; and provide a welcoming community space for all residents. The CLC continues to meet to create this space that will honor the unique history of this site.​

The CLC named the building in honor of the Dunbar Community Center, which served as an important community space for the area's Black residents until the 1960’s at 420 N Fourth Ave. Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872—1906) was a renowned American poet whose most famous poem “Sympathy” ends with the line “I know why the caged bird sings”.