Chicano Park Officially a Historical Place

Barrio Logan’s Chicano Park is officially on the National Register for Historic Places, city leaders announced on Friday.

The colorful park underneath the Coronado Bridge and Interstate 5 interchange is known for its elaborate murals of Mexican-American life. The park was created in 1970, after protesters blocked plans for a California Highway Patrol station in the spot.

Designation on the National Register list means Chicano Park has been recognized as a national cultural resource worthy of preservation benefits and protection from adverse effects stemming from federally funded or licensed projects.

Mayor Bob Filner called the park a unifying symbol of Barrio Logan and said the designation would help businesses in the area.

“This is truly a historic place,” he said at the designation ceremony on Friday. “It is an honor that those of you, that we are connecting our past and our present right here today."

The artwork at the park makes it very unique, said Tommie Camarillo with the Chicano Park Steering Committee.

“It truly sets a precedent for murals created during the height of the Chicano civil rights era to go forward and seek recognition to be worthy of preservation,” she said. “To have it recognized as national treasures is very important to us and our history.”