Pueblo seeks to preserve the legacy of the ‘Slab’ with mural and renovation project

The city of Pueblo is ready to mix basketball and art at one of the more popular areas in the Steel City: the “Slab."

The city recently announced it is requesting proposals from local artists to design and create four murals on the surface of outdoor basketball courts located along Elizabeth Street Parkway. Those courts are known by locals as the Slab because of their concrete surface and popularity as a place to play summer pickup games or host youth basketball leagues and tournaments.

The city is looking for designs with depictions that are “related to Pueblo and hopefully the energy of the sport of basketball,” said Michael Sexton, assistant director of Pueblo Parks and Recreation.

The project is part of a vision from the city to integrate local artwork into a popular amenity and update and revitalize the courts, which haven’t been resurfaced in several years, if not decades, Sexton said.

The city regularly administers minor improvements to the facility, but Sexton said the project is an opportunity “to do something different down there and preserve the legacy.”

“Over the last 80 years, a lot of heart and soul (has been put) into that facility,” Sexton said.

Painting the designs onto the courts isn’t expected to begin until some point this fall and could be pushed to spring 2024, depending on weather. Other improvements, such as resurfacing the court and installing new baskets, are tentatively scheduled to begin around September.

The total project is estimated to cost $500,000 and will be paid for using Colorado Lottery funds. Sexton said Pueblo each year receives about $1 million from the Colorado Lottery, which distributes money it collects to cities and towns across the state so they can invest in supporting their trails, parks, pools or other recreational amenities.

The history of the Slab

The Slab is considered historic partially because of its origins, which date back to 1937 when a Veterans Memorial was built there. But because there was no proper drainage in the area at that time, the memorial deteriorated and was moved to Mineral Palace Park.

Puebloans then turned that area along Elizabeth Street into a recreational area with a concrete slab. Two basketball hoops were installed, a tennis court was erected and volleyball nets were raised. Even square dancers and dog shows were a part of the festivities between 1954 and 1975, according to a Chieftain article from 2005.

But, according to that same article, basketball was “king” at the Slab. High school kids from Centennial played there frequently. Between the 1950s and '60s, it became a prime spot for teens and young adults, all of whom were itching for the chance to shoot hoops there.

The area continued to soar in popularity in the 1980s and in 1992, the courts were resurfaced with a tennis court-type surface so they could be softer and better suit the predominant sport being played there.

The Slab became known as a place that fulfilled a sense of community as many, including Sexton, went there to play basketball before and after school. People played game after game from sunup until sundown. Some considered the area a second home because of its effect on their style of play and camaraderie with others.

Sexton said Pueblo’s youth today continue that tradition at the Slab and that the murals could intrigue and introduce more people to the area.

“It’s popular,” Sexton said. “If you live here and go to school here and say, ‘Hey, I’m going to go down to the Slabs,’ everybody knows where that’s at.”

What the updated Slab is expected to look like

Sexton said although the Slab will likely be temporarily closed to basketball players once contractors start renovation efforts, he suspects it will be “worth the wait.”

The city’s plans for the project are to remove on both sides the older backboards, poles and netting and replace them with new versions of each. It also intends to resurface the court with a post-tensioned concrete slab, which can reduce the potential of excessive cracking and improve the durability and lifespan of the courts, Sexton said.

Dive deeper on the 'Slab': Classic Pueblo: Players are returning to The Slab basketball courts

Energy-efficient light bulbs will be installed, allowing for fewer light poles in the area but a more efficient way to illuminate the courts at night.

The murals, however, will be the “icing on the cake and cherry on top,” Sexton said.

Artists, who must reside within Pueblo County to be eligible, have until 5 p.m. Aug. 3 to submit to the city their mural design proposals, which can’t include logos, religious depictions or trademarks and must be original.

The designs also should conform to the layout that’s present at the Slabs. Each court is 52 feet long and 50 feet wide and the murals are to be painted within that boundary.

Four proposals will be selected by a team made up of area residents and representatives from the Pueblo Art Alliance and Parks and Recreation Department.

If the project is successful, it’s possible other outdoor basketball courts around Pueblo could receive the same treatment, Sexton said.

“There’s a lot of artists here and a lot of pride in Pueblo,” he said. “And, there’s a lot of basketball players.”

The idea of local and street artists painting basketball court murals has grown in recent years and some of those murals have popped up in other U.S. states, including New York and Pennsylvania. Several have been created in other countries as artists combine both art and basketball, continuing a trend that many feel started decades ago when the sport grew in popularity.

The sport today is as popular as ever, especially in Colorado, Sexton said. Basketball fans across the state are celebrating the Denver Nuggets winning their first NBA championship and might be intrigued to visit the Slab this summer.

Eventually, all visitors should be able to see the area’s new murals, which Sexton feels can match the visual spectacle that people see when they look at the Pueblo Levee Mural Project.

“We’ve got a lot of history and we want to show it off, too,” Sexton said. “We want to show off our legacy.”

Chieftain reporter Josue Perez can be reached at JHPerez@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @josuepwrites.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo seeks artist submissions for new murals at the 'Slab'