Photos: A look inside the Center for Black Excellence and Culture
The Center for Black Excellence and Culture, a new $32 million, 37,000 square-foot gathering space on Madison’s South Side, prepares to open its doors after a years-long effort to develop the project. The first public unveiling of the building will be during a grand opening and community open house on May 6, with an official opening to follow on July 1.
The Center for Black Excellence and Culture was built on the site of an abandoned car wash and next door to Fountain of Life Church on Badger Road on Madison’s South Side.
The Rev. Alex Gee, founder of the Center for Black Excellence and Culture, shows off a common space in the recently completed 37,000-square-foot building along Badger Road. The $32 million facility has space for visual and performing arts, a senior center, a library and an innovation center for Black entrepreneurs. An open house is scheduled from 2-6 p.m. on May 6.
The theater inside the Center for Black Excellence and Culture can hold 281 people, but the seats can be pushed back into the wall to create banquet space for tables and up to 180 diners.
Rafeeq Asad, the architect for the Center for Black Excellence and Culture used a variety bold colors, wood and angled light in designing the 37,000-square-foot facility.
A display of notable philanthropists who contributed to the construction of the Center for Black Excellence and Culture is on view in the lobby of the $32 million facility. Jason Fields, the former CEO of the Madison Region Economic Partnership, is the center’s chief strategy officer.
Gee said he was inspired by his mother, Verline Gee, the daughter of sharecroppers in Missouri. Verline dropped out of high school, but after she came to Madison in 1970 from Chicago, she obtained her GED and earned degrees at UW-Madison.
The Innovation Center inside the Center for Black Excellence and Culture offers a co-working and mentorship space for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Stained-glass windows and cultural masks add vibrancy to a common area inside the Center for Black Excellence and Culture in Madison.
An outdoor gathering space atop The Center for Black Excellence and Culture offers a view of the surrounding landscape in Madison, Wis. Tuesday, April 21, 2026. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Artwork awaits installation on the walls of a gallery inside The Center for Black Excellence and Culture in Madison, Wis. Tuesday, April 21, 2026. Viewing the works are the center’s founder, president and CEO, Rev. Alex Gee. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
A lounge area at The Center for Black Excellence and Culture offers a gathering space for the center’s visitors in Madison, Wis. Tuesday, April 21, 2026. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Floor to ceiling windows bring light into the lobby of The Center for Black Excellence and Culture in Madison, Wis. Tuesday, April 21, 2026. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
The Center for Black Excellence and Culture in Madison, Wis. Tuesday, April 28, 2026. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Artwork shares wall space inside The Center for Black Excellence and Culture in Madison, Wis. Tuesday, April 21, 2026. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
A recording studio and podcasting facility provides audio production opportunities for visitors to The Center for Black Excellence and Culture in Madison, Wis. Tuesday, April 21, 2026. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Stained glass windows allow light to stream into The Center for Black Excellence and Culture in Madison, Wis. Tuesday, April 21, 2026. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Principals involved in the development and operation of The Center for Black Excellence and Culture, including from left, architect with Rafeeq Asad of JLA Architects, Rev. Alex Gee, the center’s founder, president and CEO, and Jason Fields, chief strategy officer, converse inside the new building in Madison, Wis. Tuesday, April 21, 2026. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
A children’s gathering space inside The Center for Black Excellence and Culture offers a vibrant space for young visitors to the center in Madison, Wis. Tuesday, April 21, 2026. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Art panels add color to a second floor gathering space at The Center for Black Excellence and Culture in Madison, Wis. Tuesday, April 21, 2026. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
The Center for Black Excellence and Culture founder, president and CEO Rev. Alex Gee converses with visitors in a common space inside the building on the South Side of Madison, Wis. Tuesday, April 21, 2026. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
The $32 million, 37,000-square-foot building along Badger Road is designed to be a hub of entrepreneurship, music, the arts, mentorship and a social gathering place for the region’s Black community.
