This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

This is an idea whose time is past due.

Centro Civico Mexicano, Utah's oldest Latino organization, has unveiled a grand project to replace its modest building on the west end of downtown Salt Lake City.

With the help of some grant money for cleaning up contaminated soil, the center plans to build a $15 million multi-purpose facility that would include a theater, gymnasium, museum, classroom and child-care spaces and 61 units of affordable housing for senior citizens. All of it will surround an open space designed in the tradition of central plazas in Mexican cities.

Located just west of The Gateway, the new project would effectively extend downtown's vitality to 600 West as well as serve Latino-dominated neighborhoods in west Salt Lake City. While seed money is in place, more than half the $15 million still must be raised. It will take the generosity and foresight of the community to make this happen.

Centro Civico began in 1935 to serve a growing population of Mexican immigrants. In 2014 it served more than 17,000 people with ties throughout Latin America. The center offers classes in Spanish and English, a junior soccer league and immigration legal clinics in addition to hosting cultural events.

But it operates out of an old building that has survived hard times. Five years ago, the center depleted what little savings it had to install fire sprinklers and make other required improvements. The facility's decline, along with the rise in homeless campers in the area, has reduced the number of people using Centro Civico's services.

Just by its scale and prominence, the new center would bring greater recognition to Utah's huge and growing Latino population. Census data shows about 19 percent of Salt Lake City is of Latino descent. And, in an obvious sign of our demographic future, 38 percent of Salt Lake School District's student body is Latino.

But you may not know that by looking at the city's cultural hubs. Unlike many cities in the American Southwest, the Latin influence is not as prominent as the population suggests it should be. That low visibility deters the aspirations of the rising Latino youth population. 

Latinos need and deserve a showpiece, and Utahns of all ethnicities should embrace this opportunity.