Salinas Welcome Arch

Mounted over the 200 block of Main Street, the 70-foot landmark Salinas Rotary Arch welcomes locals and visitors to vibrant Downtown Salinas. The project came together seven years ago when the Salinas Downtown Rotary Club joined forces with the City under the Salinas Downtown Vibrancy Plan with the idea of creating a memorable gateway that could serve as a meeting place.

The need for this type of infrastructure and the importance of creating a place to gather was recognized and outlined in the City’s Main Street Master Plan, “Throughout Downtown Salinas there is a need to update infrastructure and create a sense of place and encourage the gathering of residents and visitors. Installation of a landmark sign will foster the future vision and capture the unique past of Main Street and Downtown Salinas. The creation of an identifiable gateway and other supporting identity elements will reinforce the Main Street Corridor with a contemporary take on the rich history of Salinas and the surrounding region.”

The design harkens back to the original art deco Salinas sign that hung over Main Street from the 1920s through the 1940s and is comprised of a prefabricated structure supported on conventional footings. Earth Systems conducted a geotechnical engineering investigation to provide preliminary recommendations for site preparation and grading, foundations, site drainage and finish improvements to guide the development of the project plans and specifications.

While the Salinas Downtown Rotary Club has supported numerous local and international projects, the Welcome Arch is a one-of-a-kind project in the club’s history, having been overseen by seven different presidents. With the completion of the arch, the Club has contributed a profound and enduring monument to Downtown Salinas that will last for generations to come.