CFA 19/DEC/02-7

Owner
National Park Service
Property
Lincoln Memorial
Description
The Martin Luther King, Jr., "I Have A Dream" speech commemorative plaque. (Previous: CFA 19/SEP/02-2)
Review Type
Design

Letter

Dear Mr. Carlstrom:

At its meeting of 19 December, the Commission reviewed the design for the Martin Luther King Jr., I Have a Dream speech commemorative inscription for the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The members suggested the height of the lettering for the inscription be increased in size, with the two-inch tall lettering enlarged to three inches and the smaller one inch lettering to two inches. This will not only improve the inscription's readability but make the text more compatible in scale with the inscriptions for Alaska and Hawaii statehood.

ln addition, it was suggested that perhaps the applicable title(s) should be added to Dr. King's name. This addition should be carefully considered and vetted with experts knowledgeable to what his preferences would have been. During the presentation, a portion of the discussion focused on the appropriateness of highlighting the title of the speech with quotation marks. While not resolved in the meeting, subsequently it has been deemed unnecessary, considering the inscription of the title, I Have A Dream, will be rendered in larger letters, an acceptable form of emphasis.

We look forward to further review of this project. As always, the staff is available should you, or the project team, require additional guidance.

Sincerely,

/s/
Harry G. Robinson III, FAIA
Chairman

Terry R. Carlstrom
Regional Director
National Capital Region
National Park Service
1100 Ohio Drive, SW
Washington, DC 20242

cc: John Parsons, NPS
Glenn De Marr