Puerto Rican museum to tear down controversial addition

When passing through Humboldt Park, it’s hard to miss the reddish-brown, castlelike building on West Division Street.

Built in 1895 to hold horses and wagons, the two-story Receptory Building and Stable features diamond-pane windows and an elaborately designed courtyard. It resembles a German style of architecture that is “very unusual” in Chicago, according to the Chicago Park District, and is home to the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture.

But when the museum began construction about a year ago — without proper permits — on a cinder-block structure for archives beside the Chicago landmark, some residents and preservation groups were alarmed, calling it an eyesore that blemished the area’s historic charm and didn’t involve enough community input.

In front of a crowd of about 100 people at a public meeting Tuesday, Billy Ocasio, the museum’s president and CEO and a former alderman, promised to demolish the partially built archive and collections building. With the help of Ald. Jessie Fuentes, 26th, Ocasio said he intends to relocate the archives off-site.

“I want to apologize to the community for the missteps we made as we began working on this project,” Ocasio said. “I should have been more aggressive in seeking clarifications from the various departments involved in such an endeavor, and I take responsibility for the negative reactions some of the community has had to the project as a result.”

After neighbors reported the construction to 311, the city’s Department of Buildings issued a stop-work order in September 2022, finding that the project didn’t have necessary permits or approvals. The museum, which had received a $750,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for the archive building construction, also didn’t obtain permission from the Park District, as outlined in its lease.

“Proper procedures, as detailed in their lease, must be followed, including the District’s prior written approval for construction,” Park District spokesperson Michele Lemons said. “Additional approvals, including permits from the City, are also required. As the museum works through this process, the District wants to ensure community engagement and input will inform these plans.”

The city of Chicago sued the museum and Park District in July for failure to comply with municipal codes.

Due to hurricanes and earthquakes in Puerto Rico, Ocasio said many of the island’s “national treasures are in danger,” making an archives building a vital resource. Last year, he said they brought in 21 pieces, dating back to 1786.

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However, a new archives building will be costly, Ocasio said. He estimates it will take about $3 million to $5 million, saying the museum will launch a capital campaign next week. Ocasio also said he hired an independent architect and a legal team to help correctly submit documents.

Fuentes, who was elected this year, said she found two parcels of land at 2533 and 2537 W. Division St. in Paseo Boricua, a historic section of Division Street situated between two large sculptures of fluttering Puerto Rican flags, that she thinks would make a good home for the museum’s archives building. These parcels are being considered, but ownership has not been transferred to the museum, her office clarified.

Fuentes said she doesn’t have a date yet for when construction on the new building and demolition on the current one will start, although she hopes to expedite the permitting process.

“We don’t have a timeline. Because again, we are going to engage in a community process,” she said. “Now there’s one thing I do want to be transparent about, is that the museum deserves an archive center, and it deserves one soon. But we are not going to rush or have mishaps or missteps for the sake of a building.”

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Fuentes said the museum, which was the venue for her wedding, is a community staple. According to its website, the museum is “devoted to the promotion, integration and advancement of Puerto Rican arts and culture” and is the only self-standing museum in the country dedicated to displaying Puerto Rican arts and cultural exhibits year-round.

“The National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture continues to be the institution that showcases to the city and the world the beautiful talent that our people hold, but more importantly, to tell the story of a 100-by-35 (mile) island that has resisted colonialism, imperialism and global gentrification,” Fuentes said. “We must commit to showcasing the best of Puerto Rico, the most talented individuals from our island and our diaspora.”

Once the archives building is demolished, Ocasio said he plans to use the area as an outdoor programming space. He also said he wants to build a sculpture garden in front of that space and enclose the museum building’s courtyard in glass to allow for events regardless of the season.

“As soon as we’ve gone through the approval process with the Park District, we will create renderings that will be available for public view at the museum,” Ocasio said. “Also when the Park District approves, and we have the necessary permits, we will start the demolition.”

Since the unpermitted construction began, Preservation Chicago has been one of its most prominent critics. The nonprofit released a 16-page report, which compiled dozens of documents, showing that the museum misrepresented the size of the construction and submitted conflicting information to various government agencies. Some documents explained the project as a 1,500-square-foot archives facility, while others described a 6,800-square-foot event center. Preservation Chicago also found no evidence of a soil engineer analysis, which the report said could pose a safety risk.

“It is a great asset to the City of Chicago and the nation, and it appears to have maintained the historic receptory and stable building in good condition,” the report said. “That being said, none of those good works and benefits should translate to allowing the illegal construction of a new building on public land. It sets a dangerous precedent for future illegal construction on public land, and it does not ensure the public health and safety of future visitors.”

Ward Miller, the executive director of Preservation Chicago, said on Tuesday that he’s happy with Ocasio’s new plan. The nonprofit also agreed to help raise funds for the project.

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“I love the idea of the … permanent building and then enclosing this wonderful space to be able to see the sky, to be able to use it as a sculpture court, to use the pad out there of the archives building as a sculpture and activity place,” Miller said.

Juanita Irizarry, the executive director of Friends of the Parks, also said she’s “overjoyed that we can move forward in a healthy way.” She said she met with the Park District, Fuentes and other elected officials to help find a solution.

“I think we can be very excited about building community, building Puerto Rican institutions and also want to do it right,” she said. “My dad who was Nuyorican used to say to me, ‘Man, you’re more Puerto Rico than I am,’ and it’s because of this community and the Puerto Rican institutions and so many of the people in this room.” A Nuyorican is a person of Puerto Rican birth or descent who is a current or former resident of New York City.

Some residents at the meeting thought the concerns over the structure were overblown, saying they’d like to see the same level of outrage over gentrification in the neighborhood.

“Let’s ask ourselves, why are we here? And if you’re truly here because you believe in community, because you believe in the possibilities of living in a city … that is not dominated by a few, that we need to ask permission to build a simple building and yet all these incredibly horribly looking condos are built all over us and where are your voices,” said José López, the executive director and co-founder of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center.

“In the spirit of reconciliation and redemption, we should ask ourselves, each of you who use all of your energies to come here and mobilize, use your energy to build this institution and to build this community and to support the businesses in this community,” López said.

rjohnson@chicagotribune.com