By Jonathan Munk
The old Provo library may soon be transformed into a multicultural center if the efforts of the Multicultural Center Board continue to meet success.
Members of the board, formerly known as the Centro Hispano, hope to raise an ambitious $2 million in donations to transform the 96-year-old building into a multicultural center for all ethnic groups.
The center will serve the entire community and focus on the several different ethnic backgrounds in Utah, including Native Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
The center”s goal is to ease the shift into American culture, and the board members said a multicultural center will help Utahns of all backgrounds learn about each other and appreciate the variety in the community.
Lisa Muranaka, director of the Multicultural Student Services at BYU, said a community center like this would be a great asset to the community.
“Every multicultural center that”s here to assist the local community is a positive thing,” said Muranaka. “Especially with the growing Latino community.”
After the Centro Hispano failed to raise the necessary funds to purchase and renovate the historic St. Francis Catholic Church and turn it into a Latino community center, the group disbanded. But the board stayed intact, and now its members have even larger plans.
If they are able to raise the money, they will create a center that is for more than just the Latino community.
Muranaka said there are things available at BYU and in the local community already trying to accomplish those goals. But one challenge is that people who would take interest in a new community center are many times already involved in similar activities, she said.
Board members said they hope the center will allow different minority groups to add to the community by preserving and sharing their heritage.
“When minorities contribute to society, it makes them feel wanted and makes them want to do more,” said Gwen Anderson, director of the Multicultural Center at UVSC.
The building, which has served the citizens of Provo for more than 80 years, is currently being used commercially.
In 1908, Andrew Carnegie granted $17,500 for the construction of the building, and with a contribution from Provo City, the building opened its doors as a library in December of that same year.
Since 1989, it has been used for various businesses and is now for sale. However, board members said they fear that if they are unable to raise the funds, it will be purchased and torn down for commercial land use.
Diversity in Utah has increased dramatically in the last fifteen years, especially among the Latino community. In 1990, the U.S. census reported the population of Mexican-Americans living in Utah at nearly 5,000, and that number jumped to well over 16,000 in the 2000 census, an increase of 247 percent.
