Aztec sculpture from Mission District finds permanent home in Portola
A great winged totem representing an Aztec warrior landed in the Portola district Thursday afternoon, when it was installed as a permanent fixture guarding the Palega Recreation Center, a few blocks west of San Bruno Avenue.
The wire mesh sculpture depicts a Mesoamerican eagle warrior and was titled 'Invocation' by its creator, the late Mission District artist Pepe Ozan. It was commissioned by the Civic Art Collection in 2001 and has been in storage since 2023 when a wind-blown eucalyptus fell on it at its previous location alongside the Highway 101 overpass near Cesar Chavez Street. The piece, which stands 9 feet tall with an 8-foot wingspan and weighs 245 pounds, was bent forward and its legs buckled, requiring surgery.
'It was fully conserved and repainted,' said Grace Weiss, project manager for the Civic Art Collection. 'It probably hasn't looked this good since it was installed.'
'Invocation' replaces 'Zephyros,' a kinetic sculpture that had to be removed from the same location due to mechanical failure. A survey by the Arts Commission conducted last summer garnered 75% approval to put the dynamic steel figure at the intersection where pathways connect the two park entrances, at Felton and Silliman streets, with the ball fields and the gym structure.
It cost the Arts Commission $90,000 to renovate and re-install 'Invocation,' which arrived on site shrouded in white and wrapped in tape. It took most of a day for a crew from Atthowe Fine Art Services to get it installed atop a concrete plinth that is set in the ground and adds two feet to its height. The rebar at the base of the sculpture had to drop into holes drilled into the plinth at a precise angle, which took several tries and adjustments down to the inch.
Patiently watching the process while awaiting the unwrapping was Kelly Torres, who grew up in the Portola district and still lives there.
'This is the appropriate place for it and we've been waiting,' said Torres, who recalled 'Invocation' from driving by its old perch at Cesar Chavez and Bayshore Boulevard, where it was for nearly 20 years. 'It's exciting because it stirs emotion in people. That's what art does. It's a good thing.'
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Chicago Tribune
5 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Buyers of the former Cedar Lake monastery work to restore grottos, history
Scott and Cheryl Filler have made many discoveries as they delved into restoring the 61-acre former Lourdes Franciscan Friary in Cedar Lake since purchasing the property in January 2024. As they worked to clear the brush and overgrowth that once crowded the grottos this past February, they stumbled upon a large piece of wood covered in a layer of leaves and dirt. 'From the side, it looked like a large railroad tie,' Scott Filler said. 'I was in my tractor about to dump it into the fire but I hesitated and dropped it to the side.' When they rolled it over, they were shocked to find it was a nearly life-sized hand-carved relic. 'There was moss grown over it, so we couldn't see the whole carving at first,' Scott Filler said. 'It was a miracle finding it in a way, and that it didn't end up in the burn pile.' From there, the couple researched and matched the statue with representations of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which depicts a divine sighting of the Virgin Mary chronicled in the 1500s in Central Mexico. The carving shows a woman standing with hands clasped in prayer, in a cloak covered in stars. She is standing on a crescent moon, which symbolizes the Aztec serpent deity Quetzalcoatl, showing that she triumphs over the ancient gods. Another connection scholars have made is Revelations 12:1, which refers to a woman who has 'the moon under her feet.' Currently, they are working on restoring the carving and will display it inside the main building. 'The condition that it's in is crazy, for being out in the elements for who knows how long,' Scott Filler said. 'We still haven't been able to find out about where it came from or who made it. It makes you wonder what else is out there.' Cleaning, preserving and renovating the property at 12915 Parrish Avenue has been the couple's continual labor for the past year and a half. Married for 22 years with a son, the Fillers are Region natives who met at Plaza Lanes bowling alley in Highland when Cheryl, a nurse, was a secretary for a men's league that Scott Filler was a part of. In 1989 Scott Filler started a small renovations business, Apex Construction and Remodeling based out of Highland. As the company grew larger, the couple were regularly on the lookout for new projects and interesting properties. One day while driving on Parrish Avenue, a 'for sale' sign caught Cheryl Filler's eye. The grottos were visible through the trees and rolling hills, and it peaked her interest. 'I thought we should check this out, I had no idea what it is but it looked cool,' Cheryl Filler said. 'Growing up in Lake County, we had no idea this was here.' They put in an offer, but it was promptly declined by the developer who owned it at the time. 'When the developer purchased it from the sisters (Catholic religious organization), he purchased it with the intent of completely demolishing everything and flipping it to another developer to build a subdivision,' Cheryl Filler said. Scott Filler said they had to move on after learning the seller's desired price was too high for them. However, as time passed, the property came back into the couple's lives with the announcement of an auction in 2023. Levin & Associates, in partnership with real estate broker CBRE, facilitated the auction that was set for Dec.19, 2023. The property had a suggested opening bid is $975,000, with the property previously being valued at $3,800,000. The space includes five buildings, wooded areas, walking trails and two ponds. The main building is about 16,944 square feet and dates back to the 1920s when it was a hotel. Several artifacts linger from the land's religious significance including statues, multiple grottos, altars, crosses, and stations of the cross depicting Jesus's last days. The Fillers' findings have ranged from historical photos to artifacts from the property's past. Some of the more personal things discovered has come with their restoration work on the grottos, which are manmade cave-like structures made to house altars. One of them includes a life-sized Jesus statue lying down at rest in a tomb. Another grotto is teepee-shaped to honor the first Native American saint, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, known as 'Lily of the Mohawks.' 'People still sneak in and light candles in them,' Scott Filler said. 'Three weeks ago, they found still-lit candles in the Jesus grotto.' In the winter, he found footprints leading to and from the grotto, where he found someone had lit a candle and wrote their prayers inside a notebook on the altar. The spiral notebooks and loose papers, some weathered but still legible, include the stories, hopes, pleas and struggles of countless people who sought spiritual refuge on the grounds. Their nonprofit, 'Friends of the Friary,' is aimed at restoring the 50-year-old grottos and statues and inspiring community interest. 'We started the Friends of the Friary Facebook page because the town people of Cedar Lake were up in arms that it was sold, and they were worried someone was going to tear everything down,' Cheryl Filler said. 'We wanted to calm their fears.'In honor of the property's spiritual significance, the Fillers opened up the exterior property to the public on Sundays during Lent and on Easter. Cedar Lake Historian Scott Bocock has aided them in research efforts. One of the projects the Fillers have been working on is displaying history of the grounds in the main building, showing 'how the Franciscans of Pulaski, Wisconsin impacted Cedar Lake historically and religiously.' 'I think the next step was to attempt to contact some of those still living who served here and have them write memoirs of their experiences at Cedar Lake,' Bocock said. 'From this perspective, I think this is a great endeavor because it continues to preserve, tell and promote an important part of our local history. It also continues to give community pride and encourage others to visit all of the historical and cultural resources that we have in town. Ultimately, it helps the town to grow in these respects.' Clearing brush from the grottos was just the first step, in which masonry and other reparative work is being done to keep the structures sound. They have also identified several name plaques throughout the property, many of which were Polish families from the South Side of Chicago. 'I hope to track down the names and try and find their great grandchildren,' Scott Filler said. The Fillers have spent all of 2024 and 2025 so far picking up 80 years of garbage and buried rubble inside and outside of the buildings. Some of their less historical discoveries include finding 40 La-Z-Boy chairs in the main building's attic, believed to be hoarded by former friars. They also found that at some point in its vacancy, individuals had broken into the main building and sprayed fire extinguishers in many of the rooms. On top of uncovering what is already there, the Fillers also procured other pieces of Region history to add into the mix. 'We bought pews from Salem Methodist Church in Hebron they were going to tear down; they're about 120 years old,' Cheryl Filler said. The chapel itself is a large open room with a raised platform with arched windows that overlook the pond. While much of the site's roots are in Catholicism, the Fillers want the monastery site to draw people of all backgrounds, beliefs and ages. 'For me, my mission is to let kids come out here,' Scott Filler said. 'I was a Boy Scout, and I'd love to get the Boy Scouts or other youth groups here. To teach a kid to fish is an amazing feeling, seeing their faces light up.' 'I'd love to help them get merit badges, go fishing or learn how to build a fire or spend a night camping,' Cheryl Filler added. 'It's all here, and no one knows that this place exists.' Scott Filler said he would like to see the exterior be open to the public in some form and Cheryl Filler expressed wanting to create a community garden and keep bees in an apiary. 'This quiet place is crammed right in the middle town, but sitting here right now, you wouldn't know it,' Scott Filler said. The Fillers have a variety of thoughts and dreams about what they'd like to do with the property that would make for some sort of destination spot or community hub. However, because they're still working with the town of Cedar Lake and are in early planning stages, no definite plans have been made yet. The Fillers have gone before town officials this past spring to present a concept plan to the Cedar Lake Planning Commission, which included restoring the chapel to be in use, but no definite decisions have been made. 'People have come and thanked us for saving the property,' Scott Filler said. 'We've had people who said they prayed for someone to take it over who would preserve it and care for it. They say you can't stop progress, but maybe you can stop 61 acres of progress in Lake County.' Bocock said, in a way, the Fillers have been an answer to Cedar Lake residents' prayers. 'I think that those of the community and its leaders should be excited about what is happening at the former friary site because, at the time that the Franciscans sold the property, many expressed concern that we'd lose the beauty of the area if it was developed for housing,' Bocock said. 'Many visitors have left their prayers written on various scraps of paper in the grotto in hopes that it would be saved. With all of the current building going on in town, it has been felt that we're losing more of our natural resources. I think a very serene and picturesque spot is being saved.' For more information, visit the Facebook group 'Friends of the Friary.' For those curious to see the grounds, the Fillers have partnered with Humane Indiana to host public events. From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. June 21, Humane Indiana will host 'Nocturnal Nature Night' at the former friary grounds at 12921 Parrish Ave. in Cedar Lake. There will be guided night hikes with night vision goggles to see owls, bats and other nocturnal creatures, as well as visiting ambassador animals, demonstrations, crafts and more. It is open to the public and the cost will be $10 per car, with more information to be found on
USA Today
20-05-2025
- USA Today
Brooklyn Bridge updates: Mexico mourns, seeks answers after ship's deadly crash
Brooklyn Bridge updates: Mexico mourns, seeks answers after ship's deadly crash Show Caption Hide Caption No 'significant structural damage' to Brooklyn Bridge The National Transportation Safety Board says they found no "significant structural damage" to the Brooklyn Bridge after being struck by a ship. Two people aboard the training vessel were killed in the collision, and about two dozen others were injured. The ship's planned route was southward, away from the bridge and toward New York Harbor, bound for Iceland. The ship cleared the dock but moved in reverse toward the bridge, authorities say. Mexicans mourned the deaths of two sailors while authorities in Mexico and New York worked to unravel the mystery of the tragic crash of the Cuauhtémoc Training Ship into the Brooklyn Bridge. In Mexico, the bodies of Cadet América Yamilet Sánchez and Seaman Adal Jair Marco arrived in Veracruz on May 19, two days after the crash. Family members, escorted by Mexican Navy personnel, joined a procession to the Heroic Military Naval School for the memorial ceremony, El Universal reported. Rodolfo Hernández, Sánchez's uncle, told the Mexico News Daily that his niece had sent photos of herself in Central Park the day before the crash. 'When news of her death came, we broke down," Hernández said. "We didn't have the strength to bear it." NTSB begins 'long process' of assessing why Mexican ship crashed into Brooklyn Bridge A total of 277 people were aboard the Cuauhtémoc, named after the last Aztec emperor. The tall ship, also known as 'The Knight of the Seas," set sail April 6 from Acapulco on a 254-day mission to 'exalt the seafaring spirit, strengthen naval education and carry the Mexican people's message of peace and goodwill." Mexican media have stressed that the ship's captain had a local harbor pilot, familiar with the waters, on board to help guide it into open water. The ship was docked in New York for five days as part of a goodwill tour. It was leaving from Lower Manhattan shortly after sunset, the glowing bulbs strung from its mast providing a shimmering light show on the East River. The planned route was southward, away from the bridge and bound for Iceland. Mexican ship headed the wrong way before fatal Brooklyn Bridge crash, reports say The ship cleared the dock but moved in reverse toward the bridge, authorities say. Scores of New Yorkers and tourists watched in horror as the masts slammed into the bridge and crumbled onto the boat. Members of the ship's crew could be seen dangling from the ship's crossbeams. The 142-year-old bridge suffered no serious damage. While videos of the crash quickly swept across social media, more than two dozen people were taken off the boat for medical treatment. The commander of the Mexican Navy, Admiral Raymundo Pedro Morales Ángeles, said the uninjured cadets would continue training and that the investigation would be carried out 'with total transparency and responsibility.' The National Transportation Safety Board investigator Brian Young said the probe could center on the ship's engine. The role of a tugboat that aided the Cuauhtémoc in backing out of its pier was also being reviewed, Young said. "We will look at the status of the engine, we will look for any failures, we will look for engine inspections and we'll talk to the crew on what may have possibly happened with the engine," Young said at a NTSB briefing May 19. (This story has been updated to add new information.) Contributing: Reuters
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
2 sailors killed after Mexican Navy tall ship smashes into Brooklyn Bridge
This story was updated to add a map of collision area in New York. A Mexican Navy tall ship crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge on May 17, killing two sailors and injuring 19 others on board the craft as the tops of its masts were sheared off, authorities said. "We are praying for everyone on board and their families and are grateful to our first responders who quickly jumped into action, ensuring this accident wasn't much worse," New York Mayor Eric Adams said on X. Authorities said the Mexican Navy tall ship Cuauhtémoc, used for sail training and goodwill tours to other nations, lost power just before crashing into the bridge at about 8:20 p.m. ET. Of the 277 on board, two were killed and 19 suffered injuries, Adams said. Two of the injured were in critical condition. On X, the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the Mexican Embassy, Ambassador Esteban Moctezuma Barragán and Mexican consulate officials in New York are attending to the situation to help cadets aboard the Cuauhtémoc. "Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the @SEMAR_mx training ship Cuauhtémoc incident at the Brooklyn Bridge, the U.S. Ambassador in Mexico said in a post on X. "We are monitoring closely and are in touch with the Government of Mexico via @SRE_mx to provide support as necessary. You have our full support." Videos online showed the ship sailing underneath the bridge, which connects the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Manhattan, when the masts collided with it. A car can be seen driving across the bridge at the moment of impact. The masts were shining bright with decorative lights at the time of the crash. When FDNY marine units arrived, 'We knew immediately that we had a serious incident with a boat striking the bridge, so we had reports of people in the water,' Michael Meyers, FDNY's chief of training, said in a statement posted on X. EMS workers went to the boat to treat more seriously injured people still on board, Meyers said. They were then taken to Pier 16, below the Brooklyn Bridge in lower Manhattan, where officials had a casualty collection point and an EMS staging area to assess victims. Those with the most serious injuries were immediately sent to the hospital, Meyers said. In videos, many people dressed in what appeared to be white sailor uniforms could be seen dangling from the ship's crossbeams. At the base of the bridge, near New York City's South Street Seaport, bystanders could be seen running away from the approaching ship. Cuauhtémoc is a 300-foot long, steel-hulled three-masted barque launched in 1982, according to a recent fact sheet from the ship's handlers. The ship, named after the last Aztec emperor, is the Mexican Navy's instructional tall ship for fourth-year cadets at the Heroic Naval Military School. She and crew are a diplomatic symbol of Mexico abroad, according to the fact sheet. The Mexican Consulate in New York posted several days earlier that the training ship would be arriving in New York at Pier 17 and people were welcome to visit for free from May 13 to 17. CNN reported that Mexican Navy spokesman Capt. Juan Caballero said the ship was on an annual training cruise. The suspension bridge, a popular tourist attraction and a main conduit between Manhattan and Brooklyn, was completed in 1883. Reuters contributed. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2 killed after Mexican Navy tall ship smashes into Brooklyn Bridge
