Council Approves Monument To Honor Dr. King

Photo: WTOC
Photo: WTOC

Savannah City Council voted yesterday to approve a proposed monument dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that will be located at the new Riverfront Park on West River Street.

Riverfront Park will be located at the end of MLK Jr. Blvd. and the new Plant Riverside development. The proposed monument honoring Dr. King will feature a bust facing north that will serve as the centerpiece of the park. The monument is proposed to consist of granite pedestal with a bronze bust of Dr. King on top.

The Historic Site and Monument Commission approved this proposal before it was reviewed by City Council. The Kessler Collection, which owns the Plant Riverside development, is funding the monument, which is estimated at $113,540.

The Kessler Collection agreed to maintain all improvements in the MLK Jr. Blvd. right-of-way in between River Street and the new River Walk extension. This agreement includes maintenance of the proposed monument.

The monument design will need the King family approval.

1 thought on “Council Approves Monument To Honor Dr. King”

  1. I hope the next project Historic Site and Monument Commission will undertake are proposals to honor local unsung heroes of Savannah’s Civil Rights movement. Something which is definitely long overdue. There are not a lot of Richard Kessler’s in the Black community with deep pockets who can fund a monument, maintain its upkeep and the MLK Jr. Blvd. right-of-way in between River Street and the new River Walk extension. If there were the rest of MLK Jr. Blvd. would get the work-up that was shown in a 2012 charrette. The rusted semi-green flyover with Earl Shinholster’s name, a Family Dollar store, a rebuilt Burger King with murals of Union Station and a race track plus some trees planted in the median. Doesn’t say about the local leadership some who were contemporaries of Dr. King.

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