Monroe Colston Cornerstone Mural

The Community Foundation’s first president, Monroe Colston, was he honored through the Monroe Colston Cornerstone Mural, completed on the east wall of the C3 Center by local artist ASPHATE and the Scarce Elementz Crew. As Community Foundation Executive Director, Kristi Knous, remarked at the dedication, Colston’s “…leadership paved the way for future generations, the very people who are learning, growing and gathering in the C3 Center today.”

Prior to serving as the first president of the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, Colston was an executive leader at the Des Moines Chamber of Commerce (now the Greater Des Moines Partnership) and was the real estate commissioner for the State of Iowa. He served in the US Army, the Boy Scouts of America, and the US Postal Service. Colston paved the way for people of color in Iowa as the founder of Blacks in Management, Inc., and served on numerous boards including the Mercy Medical Center Board, Bankers Trust (the first African American so elected), NAACP, and the Brain Trust to the Congressional Black Caucus. Colston passed away at age 77 in 2011. Learn more about Monroe Colston through this video.

The Monroe Colston Cornerstone Mural was installed and dedicated in September 2023 to coincide with the opening of the Community Foundation’s new C3 Center. The Mural is on the east wall of the C3 Center, located at 1910 Ingersoll Avenue, behind the Finkbine Building. The C3 Center represents the three C’s: Connection, Collaboration, and Community and is home several of Des Moines’ non-profit organizations.