Early Saturday in Portage Park, a quiet trip through the neighborhood ended with a crunch: a car slammed into the stone arch that marks the park’s main entrance, cracking the historic gateway and partially collapsing part of the structure. No injuries were reported, and crews quickly roped off the area while officials figured out just how bad the damage was.
The crash happened shortly after 7 a.m., when a man driving east on Irving Park Road turned left onto Central Avenue and drove straight into the arch, police told Block Club Chicago. Officers and Chicago Park District staff responded and began an initial assessment of the damage to the neighborhood landmark.
WPA-era arch faces repair or rebuild
The stone arch dates back to the late 1930s, built as part of a Works Progress Administration project that also added restrooms and a concrete pool to the park. That original pool was later replaced with an Olympic-sized facility in 1959 ahead of the Pan American Games. Chicago Park District spokeswoman Michele Lemons told Block Club Chicago the arch’s design "mirrors traditional stone walls seen throughout the United Kingdom" and said the district plans to rebuild the damaged feature.
