THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 16, 1997 TAG: 9701160259
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY NANCY LEWIS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 133 lines
Norfolk's long-awaited monument to slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. might soon be a reality.
William Jordan, a director of the Joe Jordan Foundation, said Wednesday that the goal of $500,000 for the memorial had finally been reached after two decades of fund-raising.
But while foundation officials think the structure could be built as early as this year, they also said some questions about the project remain.
William Jordan, brother of the foundation's founder, said he hopes work on the 155-foot obelisk can begin in early spring. By fall, if all goes as planned, a spire similar to the Washington Monument will reach toward and reflect the sky at the intersection of Brambleton Avenue and Church Street.
The monument will be about 15 feet lower than the 11-story City Hall, by one estimate.
The hopeful news came on the 68th anniversary of King's birth, which is officially marked Monday. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968.
Bids for the memorial are in hand. William Jordan said a contractor will be selected within a month.
All five bids came in over budget, said Jordan, though they are within range. Foundation directors believe they can negotiate with potential builders.
``They're not too far'' off, he said Wednesday. ``We're negotiating, working with contractors, trying to work out details.''
Rerouting traffic at the intersection during construction is one of the details that must be ironed out before work can begin, Jordan said. One possibility is scheduling work on the monument for weekends, when traffic at the busy circle is lighter, he said.
A plan for traffic is one of the reasons that a price hasn't yet been firmed up, said Jordan. ``We haven't gotten the final bid until we've pinpointed all concerns. I hope we don't need more money, but I'm not going to say we don't. It's a big unknown at this point.''
Jordan said that some 1,200 individuals and businesses had contributed to the fund and emphasized that donations are still being accepted to cover hidden costs and possible overruns for the project.
Andrei Banks, architect with the Washington, D.C., firm of McDonald, Williams and Banks, designed the King monument in consultation with Joe Jordan, the late Norfolk judge who started the monument fund in the early 1970s.
Banks said Wednesday that Jordan ``would have been very happy. He worked hard for the site and the fund.''
The structure will be 10 feet square at its base and taper to a lightning rod at the top. Surrounding the base will be a granite moat with fountains. Granite panels near the base may or may not be inscribed with the dates of King's birth and death.
Also under consideration is an engraved quotation, possibly a sentence from King's famous ``I have a dream'' speech, Banks said.
Another detail still being debated is the material to be used for panels. Granite will definitely be utilized near the base, said Banks, but stainless steel cladding may be used partway up.
The plan has been approved by the city's design review committee, Banks said.
Joe Jordan served on the Norfolk City Council in the mid-1970s. The local civil rights activist launched the foundation to build and support memorials that symbolize the social contributions of African Americans.
Joe Jordan dreamed of building a mountain of a monument to King at what was once the hub of Norfolk's black community, visible from any point in the inner city and close to other landmarks honoring prominent blacks: Norfolk State University, the Attucks Theater, Booker T. Washington High School.
He envisioned raising most of the money for the King monument from average citizens, but the 29-cent to $2,000 contributions were never enough to reach the original goal of $400,000.
Then, during the past few years, support from businesses and the Urban League of Hampton Roads brought the amount to close to $300,000.
In the meantime, though, building codes became tougher. For example, the wind factor for buildings previously was 80 mph; today it is 130 mph.
So the foundation had to up its goal by $100,000.
Over the years, contributors often demanded that organizers settle for a smaller memorial, refund the money or invest it in another project, such as the renovation of the Attucks Theater into a black cultural center.
But the foundation stood fast in its determination to see Joe Jordan's dream realized.
MEMO: Contributions for the Martin Luther King Jr. monument fund may be
sent to the Joe Jordan Foundation, c/o William Jordan, 512 W. 35th St.,
Norfolk, Va. 23550. ILLUSTRATION: Drawing
This is an artist's conception of the Martin Luther King Jr.
Monument to be built in Norfolk. The spire is to be at Church Street
and Brambleton Avenue.
Graphic
EVENTS HONORING KING
The following is a list of events honoring Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr.'s birthday:
The New Horizons Choir of the Veterans Affairs Medical Centerwill
perform at St. Paul's Catholic Church in Portsmouth at 4 p.m. Sunday
. The men and women of the choir are military veterans who are in
recovery from chemical addictions. The event is free.
The Portsmouth Campus of Tidewater Community College will host a
dinner from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the college.
Cassandra L. Newby, a Norfolk State University history professor,
will be the guest speaker. Portsmouth Mayor James W. Holley III will
be the honorary chairman.
Call Monica Terry at 484-2121, Ext. 210, for further information
and reservations.
Norfolk State University will have its annual Martin Luther King
Jr. Day March on Friday, beginning at 9:30 a.m. in front of Harrison
B. Wilson Hall on campus. After the march, Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks,
the former executive director of the NAACP, will present the keynote
address in the Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall. The event is free and
open to the public.
Old Dominion University's birthday observance will begin with a
candlelight vigil on the campus's Kaufman Mall Tuesday at 7 p.m. Ed
Gordon, news anchor and host on the MSNBC Cable News Network, will
speak at 8 p.m. in Webb Center. The Rev. Dr. Melvin O. Marriner will
be presented the university's 1997 Martin Luther King Jr. award. The
program is free and open to the public.
Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim will be the guest speaker at the Urban
League's 12th annual Community Leaders Breakfast in memory of King
Monday at 7:30 a.m. in the Mary Scott Dining Room on the Norfolk
State University campus. Tickets are $10. Call 627-0864.
``Implement the King Dream Awards Banquet,'' a tribute to the
late Rev. Bernard Spellman, will be at 6 p.m. Monday at Scott Dozier
Dining Hall, Norfolk State University. Call 466-7933.
Old Hampton Community Center will be the starting point of a
Unity March to Hampton City Hall, beginning at 10:30 a.m. Monday. A
brief rally will follow to celebrate ``Diversify the Strength of Our
Neighborhoods'' at City Hall, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Call 727-1123.
Groups will gather for a memorial march and candlelight vigil at
Hampton University's Emancipation Oak at sunset Monday. Call
727-5253.
KEYWORDS: MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. MONUMENT