Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial (Denver, Colorado)

 statue, memorial, monument, African American Civil Rights Movement

The bronze, 26-foot-high pedestal by sculptor Ed Dwight puts a 9-foot-8-inch high statue of King above life-sized sculptures of Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, Mahatma Gandhi and Rosa Parks against the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains.
Surrounding the central statue are standing tablets upon which are engraved timelines in civil rights history in America and quotes from King’s speeches. Each tablet creates a small alcove for smaller statues representing phases in American black history. Benches are placed in front of the tablets. In the stone walkways, on the north is a bronze Liberty Bell; on the south is a bronze outline of a slave ship containing figures showing how the slaves where placed below deck. Small flowerbeds complete the site.

The Memorial was funded through a combination of Public and Private resources and was successfully constructed due to interagency cooperation. The Mayor’s Office and The Denver Art, Culture, and Film Foundation raised private donations for over half the cost. The City Council approved funds from the Capital Improvements Budget. The Parks and Recreation Department and the Department of Public Works (Street Construction Division and Wastewater Management) also contributed to construction costs and provided in-kind labor, equipment and materials. The memorial costs exceeded 1 million dollars and fund raising took over 3 years.

The 28-foot tall Memorial was designed and sculpted by the Internationally renowned sculptor, and Denver resident, Mr. Ed Dwight.