What to Know About LA's New Historic Filipinotown Gateway Arch

The Historic Filipinotown Eastern Gateway structure, called Talang Gabay: Our Guiding Star, arrived in the neighborhood northwest of downtown Los Angeles Friday before dawn.

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A new landmark is being installed Friday in Los Angeles.

The Historic Filipinotown Eastern Gateway, called Talang Gabay: Our Guiding Star, will be placed at an entrance to the neighborhood northwest of downtown Los Angeles near the 101 Freeway.

The structure spans 82 feet across and 30 feet high over Beverly Boulevard, the eastern entrance into the neighborhood. The project will cost about $587,000.

The entire structure will be installed on Friday, but some painting and final aesthetic touches will continue into Saturday, according to Councilman Mitch O'Farrell's office.

A rendering of the completed Historic Filipinotown Eastern Gateway, called Talang Gabay: Our Guiding Star. Credit: City of LA

The arch structure arrived on a flatbed before dawn.

The gateway was designed by Filipino American artists Eliseo Art Silva and Celestino Geronimo Jr. They incorporated Filipino cultural symbols including a parol, which is a Filipino ornamental lantern; the Gumamela flower also known as hibiscus to pay tribute to frontline workers; and the Sarimanok, which is a legendary bird originating on the Filipino island Mindanao.

Silva also created the Philippine mural at Unidad Park, located near the Eastern Gateway's location.

The Los Angeles area is home to more than half a million Filipinos. The project to install the gateway has been in the works for nearly 20 years, according to O'Farrell. It first was underway when Mayor Eric Garcetti represented the 11th District, now represented by O'Farrell.

In 2018, O'Farrell initially committed $152,000 for the Eastern Gateway Project, but additional funding through cost savings on another project enabled the councilman to provide $452,000 for the landmark.

The project is part of a larger plan, in collaboration with the Board of Public Works, to improve the First Street Bridge with seismic retrofitting and lane enhancements.

NBCLA's Jonathan Lloyd contributed to this report.

Copyright CNS - City News Service
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