The Price of Glory
Apr 14 2008
A look at what our national memorials cost.
If You Build It ...
It's been more than a decade since Congress approved a national memorial for Martin Luther King Jr. So why hasn't construction started?
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| Illustrations by Christine Chan |
$27.3 million
This D.C. icon began as a volunteer effort in 1848, but funding tanked before the Civil War. In 1877, Congress picked up the tab to finish construction; the obelisk was dedicated in 1885.
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$9.2 million
Money for the wall, dedicated in 1982, was raised privately and included donations from Exxon and Boeing. A $100 million fundraising drive has been launched to build an underground visitors center nearby.
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$63 million
Private donors funded this memorial, which was dedicated in 1997. Disability activists later raised more than $1.5 million for a second statue depicting F.D.R. in his wheelchair.
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$200 million
Donors included Exxon Mobil, FedEx, the National Funeral Directors Association, and Wal-Mart. Supporters fought off lawsuits and criticism that derided the design as "vainglorious." The memorial was dedicated in 2004.
Note: Costs are adjusted for inflation.
