The contrast of orange and blue in Baton Rouge’s City Plaza monument could be one of the best testaments to Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy.
Both of the colors work together to support this configuration of three crosses. The first is contained within the column, the second struggles to escape, and the third emerges to full freedom.
That was Arthur Silverman’s intent when he designed the monolith, which has been standing midway between City Hall and the Raising Cane’s River Center Performing Arts Theatre since 1997.
It’s a safe bet that many people pass the structure each day without knowing its story. The monument’s bold colors go unnoticed even on this particular January afternoon as downtown workers perch on nearby ledges to eat their lunches…