The Florence Gray Community Learning Center in Newport’s North End reopened on Oct. 27, capping a $7.5 million renovation that added seven classrooms, two computer labs, four multipurpose rooms and a telemedicine room to the longtime neighborhood hub.
According to Newport This Week, the project renovated more than 15,700 square feet of the facility, including the recently reacquired Gallagher Wing, a two-story addition that was physically attached to the main building as part of the work. Plans included an interior staircase and connecting corridors to improve circulation between sections of the center.
The center bears Florence Gray’s name. Renovation plans included classrooms and multipurpose rooms.
What Changed Inside the Building
The plans also called for new mechanical and HVAC systems. Warwick-based Ahlborg Construction Company was selected for the project.
Construction Equipment Guide separately reported that the Newport City Council approved a contract amendment guaranteeing a $5.5 million maximum construction price for the work, under a construction manager-at-risk arrangement.
Grant Deadline and Project Funding
The renovation grant required completion by October 2026.
The Florence Gray Center’s renovation was costed at around $7.5 million and funded by the American Rescue Plan Act and Coronavirus Capital Funds Project. Newport and Middletown combined their allotments from the Community Learning Centers Municipal Grant program to support the project.
The center had reacquired the Gallagher Wing before including it in the renovation. The Newport Housing Authority, which owns the building, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Newport County became community partners in 2023, the same year Newport and Middletown agreed to pool their municipal grant allotments for the project.
A Hub Serving Multiple Generations and Organizations
Rhonda Mitchell, executive director of the Newport Housing Authority, said the learning center’s planned programs include education, workforce and health services.
The building has served the local community for decades and hosts organizations beyond the Housing Authority and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Newport County, including the East Bay Community Action Program, the Women’s Resource Center, Newport HEZ, Turning Around Ministries and FabNewport.
Construction Equipment Guide reported that roughly 20 similar municipal learning projects were underway statewide as Rhode Island relied more on municipalities to expand public education infrastructure in the years after the pandemic.
Florence Gray and the Statewide Program
The center is named for Florence Gray. A 2013 lecture description from the Newport Historical Society characterized her as an advocate who helped keep affordable-housing residents grounded just a few blocks from Newport’s upscale neighborhoods. According to the Rhode Island Pandemic Recovery Office, the Community Learning Center Municipal Grant Program provides $82.2 million for multipurpose facilities intended to jointly support work, education and health monitoring, with grants available to eligible municipalities. The office says 18 municipalities are building 21 centers statewide.
