In 1969, the Black Student Organization at Iowa State began planning for a Black Cultural Center to be located near campus and operated by a non-profit organization. The Black Cultural Center, Inc. (BCC) was incorporated on August 18, 1969. A special committee consisting of faculty and students was created to locate a suitable home for the Center. The house at 517 Welch Avenue was purchased for $31,500 and the corporation took possession on January 1, 1970.



Early leadership and financial support came from a variety of places. VEISHEA Inc. and the Government of the Student Body each provided funds towards the purchase of the house. Leadership came from student members of the Black Student Organization and Iowa State faculty and members of the central Iowa community. Some of the earliest supporters included Tom Goodale, Assistant Dean of Students; William Bell, Associate Dean of Students; Neil Harl, professor of economics; John McNee of the ISU Library; and Judge Luther T. Glanton, Jr., of Des Moines.



The purpose of the Black Cultural Center is to provide a place for the Ames and Iowa State community to interact and gain a better understanding of black culture and to act as a home away from home for African American students attending Iowa State University. These purposes are carried out through a variety of social activities, cultural events, and lectures. The BCC is home to a library and the Iowa African-American Hall of Fame and it also publishes the student magazine Uhuru (Archives call no. LD2546 U38x).



In 1996, the Black Cultural Center and Iowa State University entered into an agreement to allow for the financing of needed renovations to the BCC. Under the agreement, Iowa State officially recognized the Black Cultural Center as an organization affiliated with the university. Iowa State also provided funds for the renovation of the house and the ISU Foundation assisted in other fundraising activities.



The Black Cultural Center faced permanent closure when structural damage to the building caused by a burst water main forced officials to close the building in 2003. Students began raising the necessary $86,000 to repair the building and, with help from the ISU Foundation, the Government of the Student Body, and the Ames City Council, were able to reopen the facility in 2007.