Today, Washington D.C.'s National Mall unveils a new monument: a 30-foot sculpture memorial dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr. The Washington Post has a fascinating timeline of the project, which took more than a quarter century to complete from concept to construction. We learned that it cost around $120 million; was financed in part by Ford, Coca Cola, and Exxon Mobil; and had its design reworked in 2008 because a prior image was deemed too "confrontational." But the finished product looks impressive: it's now open to the public and will be officially dedicated this upcoming Sunday. Below are multiple angles of the completed sculpture:

Images by Associated Press

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at ehayden at nationaljournal dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
Erik Hayden