Luther Monument | |
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Martin-luther.JPG) Luther Monument in 2011 | |
| Location | Luther Place Memorial Church, Washington, D.C. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38°54′22.76″N 77°1′53.99″W / 38.9063222°N 77.0316639°W |
| Built | 1884 (replica) 1868 (Luther Monument) |
| Architect | Ernst Friedrich August Rietschel (sculptor) Adolf Cluss and Paul Schulze (architects, pedestal) |
| Part of | Greater Fourteenth Street Historic District |
| NRHP reference No. | 73002096[1] (Luther Place Memorial Church) 94000992[2] (Greater Fourteenth Street Historic District) |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | July 16, 1973 (Luther Place Memorial Church (November 9, 1994) Greater Fourteenth Street Historic District |
| Designated DCIHS | November 8, 1964 (Luther Place Memorial Church) July 16, 1973 (Greater Fourteenth Street Historic District) |
The Luther Monument is a public artwork located in front of Luther Place Memorial Church in Washington, D.C., United States. The monument to Martin Luther, the theologian and Protestant Reformer, is a bronze, full-length portrait. It is a copy of the statue created by Ernst Friedrich August Rietschel as part of the 1868 Luther Monument in Worms, Germany. The version in Washington, D.C., inspired the installation of many other castings across the U.S. The statue is a contributing property to the Luther Place Memorial Church's listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites (DCIHS). It is also a contributing property to the Greater Fourteenth Street Historic District, which is also listed on the NRHP and DCIHS.
The plan to erect a statue began in 1883. A group of interested people formed an association and began a fundraising effort. The total cost of the statue and granite pedestal, designed by Adolf Cluss and Paul Schulze, was $9,000. It was hoped the statue would be ready for 400th anniversary of Luther's birth, but the project was not ready until 1884. The dedication ceremony was attended by thousands of onlookers and invited guests. A parade of German American societies also took place through downtown, ending at the church. The name of the church had been Memorial Evangelical Lutheran Church of Washington, D.C., but after the statue was installed, it was later nicknamed and then formally renamed to the current Luther Place Memorial Church.