![Cleveland Cultural Gardens officially dedicates Colombian garden as its first Hispanic or Latin plot [photo gallery]](https://i0.wp.com/www.cleveland.com/resizer/v2/O4URIHKQHJCSNIF4UJKC5P5HFI.JPG?width=3072&height=2304&auth=77a203eaadbdb6a4801a2f8feca5e56bd4cc5d5cc786d7366f9bcf0da5033ed2&smart=true&w=1920&resize=1920,1440&ssl=1 "Cleveland Cultural Gardens officially dedicates Colombian garden as its first Hispanic or Latin plot [photo gallery]")
![Cleveland Cultural Gardens officially dedicates Colombian garden as its first Hispanic or Latin plot [photo gallery]](https://www.cleveland.com/resizer/v2/O4URIHKQHJCSNIF4UJKC5P5HFI.JPG?width=3072&height=2304&auth=77a203eaadbdb6a4801a2f8feca5e56bd4cc5d5cc786d7366f9bcf0da5033ed2&smart=true "Cleveland Cultural Gardens officially dedicates Colombian garden as its first Hispanic or Latin plot [photo gallery]")
CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Colombian Cultural Garden was officially added to the Cleveland Cultural Gardens on Sunday, marking the first Hispanic or Latin culture to do so in the garden’s nearly 100-year history.
“We are here today, united, not only as Colombians but as a country,” said Ivan Cerquera, president of the Ohio Colombian Foundation. “This is not only a garden for Colombia. It’s a garden for all and everyone is welcome.”
At the dedication ceremony, the garden received its official sign and a flag representing the country. Community members, officers of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens, and U.S. Senator-elect Bernie Moreno were in attendance.
Moreno, born in Bogota, Colombia, offered remarks during the ceremony and congratulated the group on accomplishing their vision. He recalled a meeting six years ago when members of the Ohio Colombian Foundation visited his car dealership and spoke to him about building the garden.
“This was just an idea in your head and to see it work is to see about perseverance, love of this country, your heritage and Colombia,” Moreno said.
Moreno, a Republican who defeated incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown on Nov. 5, also said that he wishes to strengthen trade partnerships between Colombia and the United States during a state visit in February.
Lori Ashyk, executive director of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens, welcomed the dedication of the history-making new garden.
“This is the first Latino garden in the cultural gardens, and we are very proud that we can welcome all into the cultural gardens,” Ashyk said. “We are proud that you’re the first and hopefully the first of many.”
The Colombian garden also revealed its plaza, which was part of its first phase of installments and included planters and a stone entryway into the site. The first phase cost around $110,000.
Future phases include building a pathway through a patch of indigenous plants and building a traditional Colombian house.
The Colombian garden broke ground for the first installment in August. The dedication ceremony comes nearly six years after the garden’s conception.
Some delays came during COVID-19 when it was difficult to fundraise from the Colombian community. But now Cerquera says he is happy to show the community what they have been working towards.
“It’s our responsibility to take care of the funds and show them we were serious,” Cerquera told cleveland.com earlier in the week. “Now they see it, and that it is possible to dream as long as you execute on your dreams.”
When Cerquera helped pitch the garden to the Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation board in 2019, more than 1-in-10 people in Cleveland were Hispanic. In all of Greater Cleveland, there are around 2,300 Colombians as of the 2020 U.S. Census.
The Cleveland Cultural Gardens represent the different waves of immigration patterns throughout Cleveland’s history. The first Hispanic and Latin garden indicates the growing population from those countries and how important Cleveland is for new immigration groups.
Now, the Colombian Cultural Garden is paving the way for other Hispanic and Latin countries to start their own gardens, including the upcoming Mexican and Peruvian gardens.
“I’m sure they’re seeing what we have done and now they are seeing that it’s possible to do,” Cerquera said. “It just takes time and effort.”
The Colombian Cultural Garden is on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, next to the Ethiopian Cultural Garden.
Zachary Smith is the data reporter for cleveland.com. You can reach him at [email protected].