Memorial Planners Have a Dream, Too

Once visitors pass through the portal, the view of the Tidal Basin's waters and ring of trees will unfold. The giant stone piece removed from the wall to create the opening will be in the middle of the plaza. King's image will be sculpted from it, emerging from the rough-hewn Stone of Hope.

The design team is working on plans to create waterfalls that will flow in a syncopated rhythm reflecting King's oratory style, cascading over a wall engraved with his words.

The design, created by the ROMA Design Group of San Francisco, has had an unusually warm reception since it was unveiled in 2000, compared with the harsh criticism that stalled other contemporary memorials.

Many considered the Vietnam Veterans Memorial too modern and abstract when it was introduced in 1981. The World War II Memorial was called too large and complicated for such a prominent spot on the Mall when construction began in 2001.

The King Memorial's design has received resounding kudos.

"It's very elegant and simple and moving," Thomas Luebke, secretary of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, said. "It's interesting that on part of the Mall, there is a theme developing. It is less about war and more about ideas and aspirations."

The prominent site was authorized by Congress in 1998. Its place was secured even after Congress passed the Reserve Act of 2003 forbidding further construction in the core of the Mall. The King Memorial is likely to be one of the last giant monuments to furnish the nation's front yard.

The biggest obstacle the memorial has faced is money. And that's part of the message its backers will send during tomorrow's ceremonial groundbreaking.

They have raised almost two-thirds of the $100 million needed to build. Efforts have been beset by delays.

"The fundraising is difficult, period," Johnson said. "There is always something else looking for attention of the donors. There was 9/11, then the tsunami, then Hurricane Katrina."

In 2001, the foundation struggled with King's family, which wanted a fee for the use of the slain civil right's leaders name. An agreement was eventually reached and no fee paid.

But the delay pushed the foundation up against the December 2003 deadline imposed by Congress to complete the monument, and it had to apply for an extension.

Supporters of the memorial would like to finish fundraising before the eventual construction of the National Museum of African American Culture and History, slated for Constitution Avenue and 14th Street NW on the Mall. It will be tapping much of the same donor base that the King memorial is targeting.

"We want to be out of the way before the museum starts up, so there's no competition for donations," Johnson said. "We're accepting donations, from $1 on up. If only everyone in America gave us $1."