What was once an empty lot filled with life Saturday as burning sage filled the air and dancers in Aztec headdresses and attire took to the stage at a construction site in east Portland.
The dancers came to bless the land at Southeast 165th Avenue and Stark Street, near the Rockwood neighborhood, where the $21.5 million La Plaza Esperanza community center will be built.
Latino Network, the education organization focused on the Latinx community heading the project, hosted a groundbreaking ceremony Saturday to celebrate the beginning of construction.
“This is a huge milestone for Latino Network and the Latinx communities around here,” said Tony DeFalco, executive director of the organization. “For many, many years this area has been underinvested in.”
To date, over $16 million have been raised for the facility’s construction, including donations from the community and funding from both state and federal government. The community center will house one of the first bi-lingual preschools in the area, and serve as a space for youth programs, celebrations, events and community meetings.
Concept of the lobby for La Plaza Esperanza.
Saturday’s festivities kicked off with a Ballet Folklórico performance and included free food and a raffle. Dozens of volunteers, people from the community and those with ties to the project joined the celebration.
DeFalco said around 35% of the Rockwood neighborhood identifies as Latinx.
Gov. Tina Kotek and Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega-Pederson spoke at the event, expressing their support for the project, which has been in the works for five years.
“The value of this place really lives in the lives of the people who are going to be using it,” Vega-Pederson said.
Kotek said she was a part of the early planning of the project while she was speaker for the state’s House of Representatives, and is glad to see the community center finally coming to life.
“I believe in a state where everybody has a place where they can feel welcome,” Kotek said. “Thank you for having hope, for having vision and for doing the hard work.”
The Danza Azteca group performed the ground blessing to end the event.
La Plaza Esperanza is scheduled to open in the summer of 2024, and the first preschool class will be held in September, DeFalco said.
Amanda Hills, a principal with ZGF Architects — one of the firms helping to design the building — said it’s been a long process to get to this stage of construction. Over the last five years, construction costs were raised twice, forcing alterations to the fundraising goal.
“We’re really happy to be here and support their mission,” Hills said. “The sooner it can open, the better. It’s so desperately needed.”
– Austin De Dios; adedios@oregonian.com; @austindedios; 503-319-9744
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