Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
History of the MLK Jr. Memorial
In 1966 Congress authorized the establishment of a memorial dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Following this the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation held a competition to determine the design of the memorial located right on the Tidal Basin. The final design that was selected references the "mountain of despair" and "stone of hope" in Dr. King's "I Have A Dream" speech. The sculptor of the memorial was Master Lei Yixin selected in 2007. Finally, the memorial was constructed in 2011 alongside a public dedication ceremony.
Visiting the Memorial
The memorial is located directly on the Tidal Basin in close proximity to the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. There is general parking available on West Basin Drive, on Ohio Drive SW, and at the Tidal Basin parking lot along Maine Ave., SW. Handicap parking and bus loading zone are available on Home Front Drive SW, accessed from southbound 17th St. Public transportation is the best method of reaching the National Mall and Memorial Park sites. There are options including the Metro, bicycle, or bus.
Gallery
