St. Louis’ long history with soccer has been the focus of much of the messaging around St. Louis CITY SC and the construction of CITYPARK. But today, at a dedication ceremony at CITYPARK’s Ultra Club, another piece of St. Louis history was the focus.
On February 16, 1959, the first wrecking ball hit Mill Creek Valley, a once-thriving Black community of homes and businesses claimed by the city for “redevelopment.” But on February 16, 2023, 64 years later, a permanent monument to this community and its memory was unveiled to a crowd that included many former residents of the lost neighborhood.
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“Pillars of the Valley,” a massive sculptural work that sits on the CITYPARK stretch of the Brickline Greenway, is artist and East St. Louis-native Damon Davis’ tribute to Mill Creek Valley’s past and its story’s place in our present and future.
“The main theme that I wanted to talk about was history,” says Davis. “History is usually written by the winner, by the people who want to tell history, and everybody else gets written out. I had an opportunity to tell some histories that had been covered up. The idea was to uncover and excavate the things that were buried.”
“Pillars of Memory” is made up of eight sets of dark columns, each containing a piece of pale limestone, meant to represent hourglasses with their sand frozen in time. Between the pillars, quotes from former residents about the community are etched into the work. “It was a place where all lovers walked,” reads a quote from Edna McKinney. “What we lost in the destruction of our Mill Creek Valley neighborhood was a community we relied on to survive,” reads another from Vivian Gibson, the author of The Last Children of Mill Creek.
“When you look at those things, they’re abstractions on the hourglass…the sand doesn’t move because time’s been stopped,” says Davis. “We stopped time to remember, recognize, commemorate, and more than anything, give vindication to a neighborhood of people who were purposefully forgotten, so we will never forget again.”
Davis, along with Gibson, St. Louis CITY SC President and CEO Carolyn Kindle, Mayor Tishaura O. Jones, and Great Rivers Greenway CEO Susan Trautman spoke to a crowd of community and arts leaders, former Mill Creek Valley residents and family members, and press on Thursday. Emotions ran high in the room—Trautman was nearly moved to tears as she thanked Davis for his work—and residents shared smiles and memories as they walked through the pillars outside. But the predominant feelings seemed to be appreciation for the work, and relief that the story is finally being told.
“While I am fondly remembering my old community, I am equally dedicated to sharing the devastating impact of so-called ‘urban renewal’ with words of warning.” says Gibson. “The partners that are here today I’m sure join me in their dedication to doing things differently. And Damon’s beautiful pillars are testament to remind us that there is a different way to move forward.”
“Pillars of the Valley” and the completed stretch in front of CITYPARK are just the first in a long series of planned projects for the Brickline Greenway. The next segment, set to break ground this fall, will connect to Harris-Stowe State University’s Stars Park (former home to the St. Louis Stars of the Negro Baseball League). The Vashon Community Center, one of the only remaining structures from Mill Creek Valley, will also soon become the Don and Heide Wolff Jazz Institute and National Black Radio Hall of Fame.
For those who wish to explore and honor the history of Mill Creek Valley and “Pillars of the Valley,” a public event celebrating the work will take place at Market and 22nd Streets on February 19 from 2–4 p.m. Free hot cocoa will be provided by Black Coffee, and the Red & Black Brass Band will perform. The first 200 visitors will receive a free reusable eco cup.
