San Diego’s iconic murals and plaza near the Coronado Bridge continue to not only remind us, but also inspire us, to celebrate our history and continue to move our community forward.
Chicano Park, as we all know, is the collection of murals, public art, and gathering spaces in Barrio Logan in what has, in recent years, become both a state and federally recognized historic site. The bright murals painted on the support towers of the Coronado Bridge and I-5 serve as more than decorative artwork; they illustrate the important historical figures and events that shaped the future of Latinos in San Diego.
From the ancient traditions of our ancestors to the work of Zapata and Cesar Chavez, the artwork in and around Chicano Park celebrates the struggles of our community to achieve self-determination and empowerment. That colorful history has been well represented in the grand artwork that creatively masks concrete pillars and walls that would otherwise go
unnoticed or cause blight in the neighborhood.
But the important story we should celebrate about Chicano Park is the lesser-known actions that led to the creation of the park itself. The Park today serves as a physical representation of a movement that changed the course of history for our community in San Diego.
Mexican families had lived in the area now known as Logan Heights since the 1890s, and many more moved there after fleeing the Mexican Revolution of 1910. By the 1920s, so many Latinos lived in the area that it became known as Barrio Logan. Back then, the community stretched to the waterfront, giving families access to the bay.
All that changed through a series of land use decisions that didn’t include community members in the process, creating resentment and hostility among residents. First, during World War II, the waterfront access was taken over for naval and maritime activity, denying public access to the beach. Then in the 1950s, city officials rezoned the area to allow for a mixture of commercial and industrial uses alongside homes, leading to junkyards, auto repair shops, and even chemical plating companies opening up literally next door to homes with families and kids.
The physical splitting of the community happened in 1963 when Interstate 5 bisected the community going North and South, requiring the removal of hundreds homes from the neighborhood. Only a few years later, the construction of the Coronado Bridge left tall concrete towers cutting the community from the I-5 to the waterfront.
The community, feeling neglected and abused, asked for a park to be built in the neighborhood and, in 1969, a park was finally approved,
but no construction took place.
Then on April 22, 1970, construction equipment arrived at the site of the proposed park, but, the community soon learned, the plans instead called for a California Highway Patrol station and parking lot to take up the land. Within hours, protesters, including high school students and residents, arrived and stalled the construction, some creating human chains around the bulldozers. The construction stopped and negotiations soon started.
For 12 days, protesters negotiated with city officials for a community park to replace the proposed police station. A young artist named Salvador Torres proposed painting the concrete pillars and highway structures with colorful artwork, and the dream for Chicano Park became a reality.
Within a few years, the iconic murals we now know were painted by various local artists. The paintings include depictions of historical figures, cultural ideas, and even the battle cry “Varrio Sí, Yonkes No”.
Over the years, the paintings have drawn both praise and concerns, but they have always sought to celebrate the culture of the Mexican-American, Chicano, and Latino communities.
The Park’s murals were carefully protected in the mid-1990s when CalTrans needed to make earthquake retrofitting improvements to the Coronado Bridge, and several other preservation projects have kept the murals looking beautiful through
the passage of time over 40 years.
Chicano Park will forever be protected as it has been officially recognized as a historic site by local, state, and federal listings, including on the Federal Register of Historic Places, but we must also recognize it for the civic and political significance it has for our community.
Chicano Park proved that a local community united in its defense and committed to its survival can drive its own destiny.
Now, the junk yards are gone. The dangerous chemicals are gone. And the waterfront has been reopened to the community at Cesar Chavez Park. Change does happen.
Today, April 22nd, we celebrate the 46th Anniversary of the creation of Chicano Park, a symbol of the strength and resilience as the Latino community in San Diego.
Join in the celebration at Chicano Park on Saturday, April 23rd, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with music, dancing, lowrider car clubs, community speakers, food and craft sales, and, most importantly, the gathering of the community at-large in the Park.
Thanks to all the founders, steering committee members, community activists, artists, and residents that made, and continue to make, Chicano Park a reality.