PILLARS OF THE VALLEY

St. Louis’ Mill Creek Valley was once a thriving, predominantly Black neighborhood that was home to 20,000 residents, more than 800 businesses and over 40 houses of worship. That was until the late 1950s, when city officials demolished 450 acres of Mill Creek Valley for “urban renewal”, displacing its residents and disrupting their lives.

Major League Soccer’s 29^th team is about to embark on its inaugural 2023 season, St. Louis CITY SC’s ownership group understands that professional sports can provide a platform to shine a light on racial inequities, both past and present. Brickline Greenway, a transformative project to reconnect the City of St. Louis with 10 miles of paved, accessible greenway paths, is bringing equitable economic opportunities for growth and public art that responds to community input along the way.

Brickline Greenway goes right past St. Louis CITY SC’s CITYPARK stadium and its surrounding district, which both sit where the Mill Creek Valley neighborhood once stood. Not wanting the history of this once thriving community to be erased, CITY SC, Great Rivers Greenway and the City of St. Louis joined forces to build a high-profile tribute to the former residents of Mill Creek Valley at the southwestern corner of the new stadium, along the greenway. The result is a powerful public art installation, informed by former residents of the community and designed by Damon Davis, called Pillars of the Valley.

More on Pillars of the Valley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab4FCbcwRt8