Although the Little Village arch has been considered a symbol of the Mexican immigrant community in the Midwest since it was built nearly three decades ago, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks this month officially designated it a landmark.
The arch, a gateway to Chicago’s emblematic 26th Street in the Southwest Side neighborhood made up predominantly of immigrants and Mexican Americans, is the first structure designed by an architect of Mexican descent to gain landmark status in the city.
“I’m tickled with pride and satisfaction,” said congressman Jesus ‘Chuy’ Garcia, who was alderman in the area when the arch was erected in 1990. “When we were debating whether a structure of that nature would be accepted by the community and seen as a source of pride and genuine depiction of the people that live in the community, we were taking a risk.”
That risk turned into an emblem of the history, culture and contributions of people of Mexican descent in Chicago.
The project was borne out of resistance against the anti-Mexican rhetoric at the time. Over the years, the majestic arch, which mirrors structures at the entrance of many villages in Mexico, has become a symbol that empowered the immigrant community to come out of the shadows, Garcia said.
By 1980, Latinos represented nearly 50% of the city’s population but lacked representation. Latinos now make up at least 60% of Chicago’s population, with those of Mexican descent making up the largest group, according to census numbers.
The landmarking of the arch proves that the Latino community, particularly the Mexican American people, are a vital part of Chicago’s fabric, said Ivette Treviño, executive director of the Little Village Chamber of Commerce.
Beyond becoming a symbol of the “Mexican capital of the Midwest,” the arch has served as a gathering space for Mexican people in the Chicago area and attracts tourists.
“Whether it is a peaceful protest, a celebration or a vigil, the arch gives folks a sense of unity, of community; a sense of being home,” said Treviño.
“It signifies the resilience of the Mexican, immigrant community,” she added.
When the city provided the funding for the project in the late ‘80s, the initial idea was twin iron gates at the east and west ends of the 26th Street retail corridor of family-owned businesses. But Garcia, supported by other business owners, the chamber, and the Little Village Community Council, proposed a design that resembled the arched town entrances in pueblos in Mexico.
“We wanted people to feel at home,” Garcia said.
The late Mexican-born architect Adrían Lozano designed the arch, and it was built by Balti Contracting Co., according to city records.
The two-story archway spans 26th Street between Troy Street and Albany Avenue. It features a wrought-iron grille with a metal banner that reads: “Bienvenidos a Little Village,” and on top, in the middle of the banner, it houses a grand mechanical clock.
Construction cost $275,000, mostly covered by city funds. The chamber provided $50,000 and other business owners also contributed.
In 1991, a year after the arch was built, then-president of Mexico, Carlos Salinas de Gortari, gifted the city a bronze clock manufactured by Relojes Centenario — the oldest clockmaker in Mexico — after visiting the Little Village neighborhood, reassuring the immigrant community that the Mexican government had not forgotten about them.
But the clock, in the center of the arch, has rarely marked the right time, said Baltazar Enriquez, president of the Little Village Community Council.
Despite its significance, the arch had been decaying over the years as different organizations in the community have overseen maintenance, Enriquez said.
In the past, there have been debates about proposals to change the facade of the arch, including digitizing the clock. The chamber has historically been responsible for minor repairs, said Treviño.
“The landmark status will ensure that we preserve the arch as it was built and that also strengthens the history of why it was built,” Enriquez said. In 2017, he helped to organize some business owners and Little Village residents to repair the clock.
Ald. George Cardenas, 12th, said that the landmark status will secure funding for the maintenance of the arch, and said there are plans to repair it in spring. He said he advocated for the designation of the arch as a landmark for about two years.
The designation was long overdue, said Ald. Mike Rodriguez, 22nd, who represents two-thirds of Little Village.
“Many already considered the arch a landmark but it will get the respect it deserves,” Rodriguez said.
larodriguez@chicagotribune.com
November 13, 2021 at 08:57AM
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-little-village-arch-designated-landmark-20211113-zpuksilcgbac3gdokj2uiof3wi-story.html
Emblematic Little Village Arch gets landmark designation: 'Signifies the resilience of the Mexican, immigrant community' - Chicago Tribune
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