History of the Mexican American Cultural Center project
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The Mexican American Cultural Center is the last of the signature projects from the 2012 Quality of Life bond to be delivered, following the completion of the children's museum La Nube and with any continuation of the Multipurpose Performing Arts and Entertainment Facility voted down last year.
The MACC project has gone through several designs, locations, and even names since first voters approved it more than 12 years ago. Originally referred to on the ballot as a "Cultural Heritage Center," the City of El Paso had set a budget of $5.75 million for what it called a "Hispanic Cultural Center" by 2015.
In 2016, City leaders agreed to work with the Mexican American Cultural Institute, a group led by former District Attorney for El Paso Jaime Esparza and former democrat Congressman Silvestre Reyes, to build the center at the Abraham Chavez Theater. By adding the expense of renovating and making room around the theater, the cost of the project ballooned to more than $34 million dollars. The City agreed to put up $10 million to make up the difference, with the cultural institute then required to raise the rest.
"When we reach out to the private part of this partnership," Esparza said in 2016, "they will know that this city, this community, taxpayers, all of us are totally committed to having a world class Mexican-American cultural center."
By 2017, that deal fell apart over concerns about the groups ability to raise those funds, among others.
In 2018, city council voted to put the Mexican American Cultural Center at the downtown library - which was something a number of librarians and center supporters opposed. During a city council meeting, one person said that they weren't okay with being asked to choose between cultural representation of their community and the investment in the literacy and education of their children.
The discussion got heated, even resulting in an arrest and removal from council chambers. The City continued with that plan however, and broke ground in 2021.
"I think El Paso is long overdue for a Mexican American cultural center," said Ben Fyffe, now the city's Managing Director of Quality of Life. "We're a community that is over 83% Mexican-American. El Paso is located at almost the geographic center of the U.S.-Mexico border. And I think after the last few years of everything that this community has gone through with the escalating rhetoric about immigration, it's just great to be able to celebrate who we are and be proud of that.
Pandemic related delays and cost overruns pushed completion of the project until this year, with the total cost topping approximately $25 million, including renovations made to the library itself.
