Rich Bradley on Kenneth Calvert’s “Cornerstones of Courage and Culture” Mural

St. Louis-based artist Kenneth Calvert’s “Cornerstones of Courage and Culture” commemorates six great African American leaders who stand as examples of civic virtue and community leadership. It was commissioned for the south wall of the City Hall Tucker Street entrance in 1997.

In two decades since the mural was created, the wall behind it has degraded due to moisture damage and age. For the last three years the City has been attempting to repair the existing mural. In order to save this important piece of our City’s artistic legacy and continue to honor the great thinkers and leaders the mural commemorates, the City has contracted with Portfolio Gallery, the original artist Kenneth Calvert, and Trotter Art, Inc. to install a high resolution reproduction of the mural in the same location. This process has been in the works since 2014. The original mural was removed, the wall has been repaired and repainted, and the reproduction will be put in place this evening.

Captain Tandy, Dr. Turner, Elizabeth Keckley, Annie Malone, Thomas Turpin, and Reverend Dickson were great St. Louisans and had an outsized impact on our City and our nation. We’re dedicated to preserving their memories and honoring their accomplishments. We hope they will continue to inspire all those who enter City Hall to show the same compassion, creativity, empathy, and understanding that were the foundation of all of their accomplishments.