The proposed monument will honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK, Jr.) and will be located in the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Riverfront Park located at the terminus of Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard that is part of the new Plant Riverside Development at 400 West River Street. 

• The proposed monument honors Dr. King, and meets the standards for new markers and monuments by addressing multiple themes, including Cultural and Ethnic Heritage, Politics and Government, Social and Humanitarian, and Local History. 
• The monument's text focuses on local, as well as national history related to Dr. King, and includes quotes from his Emancipation Day Address in Savannah. 
• Dr. King is a nationally known figure in the Civil Rights Movement, who also spent time in Savannah.  While West Broad Street was renamed to honor him in the 1990s, no monuments exist to him in Savannah or Chatham County. 
• Dr. King is honored by the entire community with a parade every year and holds significance for Savannah as a whole.  He died in 1968 and there is significant documented evidence of his life as well as the short time he spent in Savannah.
• The monument will feature a bust facing north toward the river, which is also the direction of Washington, D.C.
• The monument will serve as the centerpiece of the park, with the landscaping designed to draw people in from the south to the front of the monument and the green space of the park.  No other monuments will exist in the park.
• The park and the monument are part of the larger development Plant Riverside.
• The monument is proposed to consist of a granite pedestal with a 1 1/2 times life size bronze bust of Dr. King on top.  The total height of the monument will be 8 feet.  The pedestal will have engravings on all four sides and the bust will face the river.  The bust was commissioned from the artist Franco Castelluccio.
• Proposed text is included in the attached Historic Site and Monument Commission Recommendation Packet (File Name: COA - 400 West River Street 18-001991-MON.pdf).
• The applicant is funding the monument, which will cost a total of $113,540.00.
• The Kessler Collection, which owns the Plant Riverside development, has an agreement with the City of Savannah to maintain all improvements in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. right-of-way in between River Street and the New River Walk.  This will include the proposed monument.

The Historic Site and Monument Commission recommends approval of the monument with the following conditions to be provided for staff approval prior to installation:

1. A coating or other protective measure is put in place for the granite;
2. The size and location of the artist's signature is specified;
3. Additional information on the sources and copyright information is provided for the text;
4. The requested text changes are made.

Approval