Kennedy King Memorial Initiative

In 1995, President Clinton came to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park to dedicate the memorial, “Landmark for Peace” commemorating the site where Robert Kennedy delivered his immortal words on the night of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s assassination. The landmark for peace is located within Indianapolis’ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park.

“Why don’t we make a monument to peace where all of us can live together, not with walls coming up but with walls tearing down, so we can go forward together.”

MLK Gateway Project

In April 2025, Mayor Joe Hogsett joined City-County Council President Vop Osili, Indy Parks Director Phyllis Boyd, and community leaderscame together to break ground on a $6.8 million expansion project at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park. The project will build a new plaza, walkways, landscaping, and expansion of the existing Landmark for Peace monument at the park. The project will also make significant investments in new lighting and security cameras for the park and is scheduled for completion in 2026.

(Photo/Indy Parks)

Park History

Former Indiana Secretary of State, Larry Conrad, had the idea that a monument could commemorate both Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy in the park where Kennedy’s calming remarks were made on the night of King’s assassination. Indiana Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh funded a juried competition for a monument design in 1994 with resources from the newly-formed Pacers Foundation. 

Indianapolis writer, Greg R. Perry submitted a design concept that was chosen from a pool of 50 submissions. The monument, dedicated in 1995, is constructed from two massive curves of Cor-Ten steel cut with the outlines of Kennedy and King, cast by Indianapolis sculptor Daniel Edwards. From each of these rounded steel curves of steel leap two half figures, reaching their hands out to one another over a walkway. “The monument is a meeting of opposing artistic sensibilities not normally found together in public monuments: abstract meets figurative,” writes NUVO art critic Dan Grossman. “It’s not just a piece of sculpture that happens to be outside in a public space,” says project consultant Steve Mannheimer. “It’s truly a civic sculpture.”

We remember and honor Landmark for Peace designer Greg R. Perry (1961-2017), a devoted KKMI board member. 

Visit the Park

The park and memorial are located at: 

601 East 17th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202

There is free street parking along Broadway.

Learn More

Read about The Memorial on Wikipedia. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park is part of Indy Parks. The memorial was funded by the Indiana Pacers Foundation.