The Beaux Arts Krewe coat of arms was created in 1967, shortly after the founding of the Krewe. The primary colors are gules, sable and or — that is to say red, black and gold.
The sun-in-splendor atop the helmet is a sign of Apollo, Patron of the Arts, as the Krewe is a patron of the Birmingham Museum of Art. In recognition of our King, the helmet is crowned and in the “Royal Position” — full faced and with an open grill.
The “chief,” or top part of the shield, is red to commemorate the red iron ore-rich earth of the Birmingham area, while the seven golden arrow designs are the ancient alchemical symbol for the mineral iron. The number seven was chosen for luck and because the organization began in 1967.
The two jagged lines of the “fesse,” the bar across the middle of the shield, denote the mountains that surround the city of Birmingham.
The owl between these lines is not only the major symbol of Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and Learning, but of the night as well. The two lyrics harken back to Apollo, in his guise of Patron of the Arts, but more to the point are appropriate symbols for an organization whose revels are conducted to music.
The black tower with its leaping flames is a stylized representation of the mighty blast furnaces that dotted the valley floor and that played such an important part in the economic development of Birmingham, the “Steel Center of the South.”