Plans to build a new monument to honor Martin Luther King Junior in Avondale have been put on hold. The city of Cincinnati selected a design team in July to create the plaza at Reading Road and MLK Drive, but canceled the plan the next month.
A , from then interim City Manager John Curp says the decision came after "overwhelming feedback from community members." The memo did not include public comments.
In 2021, Council approved a million dollars for the project to replace a statue that was removed for the creation of the MLK interchange with I-71. In June 2022, artists and artist teams submitted their proposed designs, and the city gathered input during community engagement sessions.
In July, city officials announced they had selected Re:Site Studio and would begin negotiations, with a goal of completion by August 2023, in time for the anniversary of King's I Have a Dream speech.
The memo says after receiving community feedback, the city ended negotiations with Re:Site.
鈥淭he city of Cincinnati remains committed to the construction of a world-class and community-centric memorial honoring Dr. King at the northeast corner of MLK Jr. Drive and Reading Road," the memo continues. 鈥淭he community concerns expressed鈥� indicate a need to reassess how best to achieve this goal.鈥�
The memo states the administration will update council members once it decides how to proceed.
