Department of General Services Manages Temporary Relocation of the Thurgood Marshall Statue to Annapolis Court of Appeals

ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Maryland Department of General Services (DGS) today announced the temporary relocation of the Thurgood Marshall statue from Lawyers’ Mall to the Court of Appeals of Maryland building in Annapolis.

“Thurgood Marshall holds a significant place in Maryland and our nation’s history,” said Secretary Ellington E. Churchill, Jr. “To hold such a significant historic figure in storage while we make changes to Lawyers Mall would be a missed opportunity for the public. Thurgood Marshall will be ‘coming home’ to the high court of Maryland, in honor of his work as Former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.”

The statue, serving as the dominant element of a larger memorial to Thurgood Marshall, was removed from Lawyers Mall in October 2018 to a Maryland State Archives storage facility. DGS has been actively working with Archives throughout the relocation process of the artistic property. The statue’s removal allows underground utility work to proceed as part of a multi-phased infrastructure project within the Annapolis Legislative Complex. The two-year project includes utility replacement, plaza replacement, new landscaping, and other improvements.

The statue has been transported to the plaza entry to the Court of Appeals of Maryland and will remain at the high court until the infrastructure project at Lawyers’ Mall is complete. The Thurgood Marshall Memorial will then be reassembled in its original location as part of a new project to redesign and enhance Lawyer’s Mall.

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About DGS: The Department of General Services is responsible for essential services and programs administered on behalf of the state, including procuring goods and services; designing, building, leasing, managing and maintaining facilities; leading energy conservation efforts; and providing essential services such as fuel management, disposition of surplus property and records management. The Department of General Services Maryland Capitol Police maintains safety and security at state buildings.