PHOENIX — The city first started looking into a facility to honor the area’s rich Latino culture more than two decades ago, and despite years of discussions, public meetings, studies, and millions of dollars in approved bond funding, a site has never been built.
South Phoenix artists and community members are asking why the project has seemingly stalled, despite funding, while also advocating that a center be built on the south side.
Money was first made available through a 2001 bond to look into facilities honoring Latino culture. However, it wasn’t until 2017 that a complete feasibility study was completed following community outreach.
A committee convened in 2019 to discuss the project and gave its final recommendations in 2020.
In 2023, voters approved a $500 million “GO” Bond that set aside money for key arts and culture projects. The Latino Cultural Center was identified as one of the top three cultural projects by the city, with more than $20 million allocated for the project.
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El Sagrado gallery owner and South Phoenix advocate Sam Gomez served on the committee for the project and said he has yet to hear anything about a new Latino Cultural Center in years.
"We got the museums north of the tracks, the galleries, everything's north of the tracks,” Gomez said. “Us being the fifth largest city in the country with the biggest Latino population here, we still don't have a Latino cultural center.”
District 6 Councilman Kevin Robinson, chair of the city’s subcommittee on economic development and the arts, agreed that the project has not moved forward like he would have hoped.
“The unfortunate thing is it did languish for a long time. It’s been there,” Robinson said. “The money is there. The unfortunate thing is people were moving on it, and then it stopped.”
Robinson said it’s his goal to get things moving again by bringing in the arts department to an upcoming subcommittee meeting.
“Making sure we do it the right way the first time so we’re not backing up and going over things again,” Robinson said.
Gomez wants the city to consider South Phoenix’s Rio Salado corridor, which is currently receiving large planning investments by the city for transportation, development, housing and public space around the river.
“South Phoenix has been waiting for a long time with this investment, and I think right now it's the perfect time,” Gomez said.
South Phoenix artist, teacher, and founder of Southbound Art House Venessa Chavez echoed that desire to see a cultural center come to the south side, not just as a museum but a space for community events.
"South Phoenix is such a very beautiful space, has a lot of history behind it,” Chavez said. “We need something that is going to allow us to keep creating and keep community together and keep community connected."
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