Monument dedicated

Three arches now grace the entrance to the Mitte Cultural District, welcoming visitors and Brownsville residents into this culturally vibrant section of the city.

A dedication ceremony for the entrance monument was held on Wednesday, at the intersection of the Expressway 77/83 frontage road and East Sixth Street. The monument is surrounded with bougainvillea and Asian jasmine and stands in front of two 20-foot palm trees.

"This is the best — when we come together," said Mayor Pat. M. Ahumada Jr. "Whatever other divisiveness there may be, we are celebrating something great for the city."

The divisiveness Ahumada mentioned was in reference to the recent allocation of city funding to the various organizations that comprise the cultural district. The city’s Cultural Affairs Advisory Committee recommended that some organizations, like the Brownsville Museum of Fine Art and the Gorgas Science Foundation, receive zero dollars from the city for the next fiscal year.

"This is not the time to cut back on the arts," Ahumada added. "This is the time to put our best face forward. Maybe people passing by this monument will invest here. Maybe they’ll shop here, or move here. It’s well worth the investment."

The entrance monument mimics Brownsville’s historic architecture.

"The arch has Spanish colonial elements," said Calvin Walker, a Brownsville architect who has restored the historic Gorgas and Champion buildings. "The arch was a very neat way of spanning distances."

The brick dentils, or textured brick design at the top of the arch, are also common in Brownsville architecture.

"Having the brick dentils puts a visual cap on a brick wall. It gives your eye a place to stop," Walker said.

The new monument was designed by Scott Pajeski of SSP Designs and funded by Dean Porter Park Renovation Inc, a non-profit, and the Mitte Foundation, which is based in Austin.

Pajeski estimated that the monument would likely cost around $100,000, but said the final figure was not yet available.

Joann Cole Mitte and Roy Mitte began nourishing the vision of the Mitte Cultural District in 1998 when they funded the restoration of Dean Porter Park. Roy Mitte was born in Brownsville in 1932 and had a deep dedication to his city. The Mitte Foundation also constructed the Ringgold Civic Pavilion and the Mitte Cultural Education Center, which is home to the Costumes of the Americas Museum and the Children’s Museum of Brownsville.

Roy passed away in January of 2007 and Joann passed away that December.

"They definitely would have been here today," said Bill McHugh, chief financial officer for the Mitte Foundation. "They would have been very proud of this."