Salvatore Grisafe Memorial
Owner: KCMO Parks & Recreation Department
Artist: Jac T. Bowen
Dates: Dedicated April 21, 1968
Medium: Stainless steel (sculpture), concrete with exposed aggregate (pedestals)
Description:
Salvatore Grisafe was a 17-year old youth who was shot to death on April 19, 1964 while attempting to prevent the assault and robbery of two women. Four years later this sculpture was dedicated to those citizens who believe in the principles of law, order and good citizenship, best exemplified by Salvatore Grisafe.
The sculpture was donated by the Kansas City Junior Chamber of Commerce and placed in the median of The Paseo at 16th Street. The stainless steel work by artist Jac T. Bowen is an abstract figure with its arms raised upwards symbolizing youth striving for greater goals. The twelve and a half foot tall figure stands atop a pedestal made of concrete with exposed aggregate. Two smaller pedestals, one with the dedicatory plaque and one unadorned, sit close by. All three pedestals stand on a round concrete base approximately twelve feet in diameter. Benches and shrubbery surround the base and a sidewalk crosses the street median at the sculpture.
