On November 20, 2025, the Casa dos Açores da Califórnia marked a major milestone in its nearly fifty-year history: the groundbreaking ceremony for its new cultural and community facility in Hilmar. Under a gray morning sky, board members, supporters, and members of the Azorean diaspora gathered to witness the first shovels of earth lifted from what will soon become one of the most modern Portuguese-American cultural spaces in California.

The event was led by the 2025 Board of Directors, with President George Costa Jr., whose multiethnic background reflects the diversity of today’s Portuguese-American diaspora, and Vice President Comendador Manuel Eduardo Vieira, a widely known entrepreneur, a true philanthropist, and a man who has for many decades been an advocate for Azorean cultural causes. Their leadership marks a moment of renewed vision and commitment for the organization.

A Long Tradition of Azorean Cultural Preservation

Founded in 1977, the Casa dos Açores da Califórnia has played a central role in preserving and promoting Azorean culture across the Central San Joaquin Valley. Over the decades, the organization has hosted Holy Spirit celebrations, cultural workshops, musical events, youth programs, and community gatherings that have helped maintain strong cultural ties among the thousands of Californians whose roots trace back to the nine islands.

Casas dos Açores around the world exist for this purpose: to offer cultural continuity to Azorean emigrants and their families and to ensure that traditions, language, and community rituals remain alive outside the archipelago. The Hilmar Casa, in particular, has become one of the most active and respected institutions of its kind in North America, serving a community widely recognized as the most vibrant concentration of Azorean-descended residents in California today.

A New Facility Designed for a New Generation

The future building will serve as a multipurpose cultural center, equipped to host festas and a variety of cultural activities, including exhibitions, concerts, literary events, academic colloquia, intergenerational programs, social gatherings, and community celebrations. More than a replacement for an older space, it represents an expansion of the Casa’s mission and capacity, allowing it to better serve a growing, increasingly diverse Portuguese-American population.

The project is also designed to ensure that future generations—children, students, young professionals, and people of all ages and interests—will have a modern space to celebrate their heritage, learn and connect with the history of the Azorean people.

Partnerships and Future Collaboration

The Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) at Fresno State congratulates the Casa dos Açores on this significant achievement. PBBI would love to see future collaborations in literature, the arts, and cultural programming. Initiatives such as the Azores Diaspora Forum, Colóquio Cagarro, and media platforms like Novidades and Filamentos have already built strong bridges between the university, the islands, and the diaspora—bridges that the new Hilmar facility is well-positioned to further strengthen.

A Historic Day for the Azorean Diaspora in California

When the ceremony ended and the crowd dispersed, the newly opened ground stood as a clear symbol of renewal. It marked not only the beginning of a construction project but also the reaffirmation of a longstanding cultural mission: to preserve, promote, and celebrate Azorean identity in the diaspora.

As construction begins, the Casa dos Açores da Califórnia moves confidently into its next chapter—one that promises greater visibility, stronger partnerships, and deeper cultural engagement for decades to come.

The groundbreaking in Hilmar was more than an architectural milestone. It was a reminder that the Azorean spirit remains strong in California, adapting to new times while continuing to honor the heritage, values, and traditions that have defined this community across generations.

Novidades (the islands and the diaspora) PBBI-Fresno State. Photos from the Casa dos Açores Facebook page.