Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, Martin Luther King, Jr. Library - Aurora, CO
Posted by: 
Outspoken1
N 39° 44.371 W 104° 52.398
13S E 510856 N 4398854
This slightly-larger-than-lifesize bronze statue was unveiled on September 26, 2015, at the entrance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library and Municipal Services building in Aurora, Colorado, USA.
Waymark Code: WMPPTR
Location: Colorado, United States
Date Posted: 10/03/2015
Views: 3
This slightly-larger-than-lifesize bronze statue of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is located in front of the MLK Library and Municipal Services building. It has taken the city many years to gather the funds for this statue. The piece stands 7' tall and features King in a traditional western business suit gesturing with one hand and holding a paper with his speech in the other hand. He stands on a polished black granite plinth upon which the words are engraved "I Have A Dream". A second bronze plaque is mounted on the plinth with a brief biography of King as well as the name of the sculptor.
"The city of Aurora unveiled and dedicated a statue of Martin Luther King Jr. on Saturday morning.
The seven-foot-tall bronze sculpture was placed outside the Martin Luther King Jr. Library on Colfax Avenue.
Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan, sculptor Jeff Hall and city council member Renie Peterson, a proponent of the initiative, all spoke at the unveiling ceremony.
Hall won a national competition for the commission of the sculpture by the city's Art in Public Places program.
The Aurora City Council approved the proposed sculpture project on Nov. 24, 2014 for a total budget of $90,500.
At the event, Hall shared more about the different elements of the sculpture.
For example, King is clenching a speech, showing "the power of his words and determination," Hall said.
The sculpture also depicts King standing in the mountains, providing a local connection to the city near the foot of the Rockies.
It is also, according to Hall, a tribute to one of the artist's favorite speeches of King, which is "I've Been to the Mountaintop."
To create a sense of place, benches were installed around the statue to form a small plaza. Some of King's famous quotes are engraved on them." (from (
visit link) )
There are nearby concrete benches with some of his words engraved on the bask. This i7" tall rendition is a more friendlier presentation than is often seen. Dr. King visited Denver five times to help build the foundation for racial equality in the Rocky Mountain west. Nearby historic plaques detail his visits.