New statue appears on Cherokee Street, replacing one taken down in 2021

ST. LOUIS – After almost three years, a new statue takes its place on Cherokee Street to honor the indigenous people for which the street is named.

The original statue, located at the corner of Cherokee Street and South Jefferson Avenue, was removed in September 2021 after the public voted to take it down.

The Cherokee Station Business Association commissioned the previous statue in 1985 to serve as a landmark for the street and its commercial district. Artist Bill Christman created the 21-foot landmark.

Christman told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 2007 that he worked closely with a Cherokee Indian group to make sure it was not a stereotype. But he eventually soured on the design, saying that it is out of proportion and “just doesn’t work.”

The new statue features three members of the Cherokee Nation.

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