The historic stone arch at Portage Park was damaged early Saturday morning after a car collided with it, according to police and park officials.
Authorities said the incident occurred shortly after 7 a.m. when a man driving east on Irving Park Road struck the corner of the arch while making a left turn onto Central Avenue. No injuries were reported in connection with the crash.
Michele Lemons, spokesperson for the Chicago Park District, stated that an assessment of the damage is underway. “The Park District will develop a plan to rebuild the arch,” Lemons said in an email.
The stone arch has been a fixture at Portage Park for over eight decades. It was constructed in the 1930s after the park became part of the Chicago Park District. The addition of stone arches, gateways, and fountains was part of improvements made by workers from the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a federal employment program established during President Franklin Roosevelt’s administration amid the Great Depression.
WPA laborers also built restrooms and a concrete pool at Portage Park; this pool was later replaced by an Olympic-sized facility in 1959 as part of preparations for the Pan American Games.
Lemons noted that “the arch’s design mirrors the traditional stone walls that are seen throughout the United Kingdom.”
