Shelley House: A Landmark of Civil Rights

Located at 4600 Labadie Avenue in the Greater Ville neighborhood of St. Louis, the Shelley House is a physical reminder of a pivotal moment in American civil rights history. Built in 1906, this unassuming brick duplex became the home of J.D. Shelley, his wife, and their six children, who migrated from Mississippi in 1930 seeking refuge from the pervasive racial oppression of the South.Unbeknownst to the Shelleys, their new property was subject to a racially restrictive covenant, a common practice at the time that barred the sale of property to anyone of the "Negro or Mongolian race". When a neighbor, Louis Kraemer, sued to enforce the covenant, the Shelleys fought back, leading to a legal battle that ultimately reached the United States Supreme Court.In 1948, the Supreme Court ruled in Shelley v. Kraemer that state enforcement of racially restrictive covenants was unconstitutional, violating the 14th Amendment's guarantee of equal protection under the law. While the ruling did not outlaw the covenants themselves, it prevented the state from enforcing them, marking a significant victory for African Americans and a major step forward in the fight for fair housing. The Shelley House was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1990 and added to the African American Civil Rights Network. Today, the Shelley House remains a private residence, a living testament to the Shelley family's courage and their enduring impact on American society.