The Luther Monument is a public artwork located in front of Luther Place Memorial Church in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, United States. The monument to Martin Luther, the theologian and Protestant Reformer, is a bronze, full-length portrait. It is a copy of the statue created by Ernst Friedrich August Rietschel as part of the 1868 Luther Monument in

Worms, Germany Worms (; ) is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, situated on the Upper Rhine about south-southwest of Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main. It had about 84,646 inhabitants . A pre-Roman foundation, Worms is one of the oldest cities in northern ...

. The version in Washington, D.C., inspired the installation of many other castings across the U.S. The statue is a

contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic dist ...

to the Luther Place Memorial Church's listing on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

(NRHP) and District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites (DCIHS). It is also a contributing property to the Greater Fourteenth Street Historic District, which is also listed on the NRHP and DCIHS. The plan to erect a statue began in 1883. A group of interested people formed an association and began a fundraising effort. The total cost of the statue and granite pedestal, designed by

Adolf Cluss Adolf Ludwig Cluss (July 14, 1825 – July 24, 1905) also known as Adolph Cluss was a Germany, German-born United States, American immigrant who became one of the most important, influential and prolific architects in Washington, D.C., in the lat ...

and Paul Schulze, was $9,000. It was hoped the statue would be ready for 400th anniversary of Luther's birth, but the project was not ready until 1884. The dedication ceremony was attended by thousands of onlookers and invited guests. A parade of

German American German Americans (, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. According to the United States Census Bureau's figures from 2022, German Americans make up roughly 41 million people in the US, which is approximately 12% of the pop ...

societies also took place through downtown, ending at the church. The name of the church had been Memorial Evangelical Lutheran Church of Washington, D.C., but after the statue was installed, it was later nicknamed and then formally renamed to the current Luther Place Memorial Church.

History

Memorial plan

The idea for erecting a statue in honor of

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

, who was responsible for the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

and

Lutheranism Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

, was first mentioned by Charles A. Schieru of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. Schieru told a reporter from the ''Lutheran Observer'', whose bureau was in

, and the idea soon spread amongst Lutheran pastors throughout the area. An association was formed to erect a statue. On

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a Christian martyrs, martyr named Saint Valentine, Valentine, and ...

, 1883, an image of the proposed statue was printed in Lutheran newspapers. The Luther Place Memorial Church, then named the Memorial Evangelical Lutheran Church of Washington, D.C., suggested the statue be placed in front of its church. Donations soon arrived, and by April 1883, the association had enough funds to erect the statue. The total cost for the statue was approximately $5,000, and the pedestal was $4,000. Many people submitted designs for the statue's pedestal, and the architects chosen were

and Paul Schulze. A.H. Jouvenal was chosen to construct the pedestal. The statue chosen to erect in Washington, D.C., was a copy of the Luther Monument in

. The replica was created in

Lauchhammer Lauchhammer (, ) or Łuchow is a town in the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district, in southern Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated on the Black Elster river, approx. 17 km west of Senftenberg, and 50 km north of Dresden. History From 1815 to ...

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

, and shipped to the U.S. It was then delivered from

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to Washington, D.C., via the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company. The original plans were for the statue to be dedicated on the 400th anniversary of Luther's birth, November 10, 1883, but the unveiling was delayed until 1884.

Dedication

The night before the unveiling and dedication, there was a meeting at the church of the many guests of honors and members of the committee involved with the statue's installation. Another meeting took place the following morning, May 21, 1884, which was conducted in German. Attendees included the pastor, members of the statue association, and other pastors. The church's pastor read Psalm 46 followed by the singing of '' Now Thank We All Our God'' by the choir of St. John's Church. One of Luther's songs, ''

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" (originally written in German with the title "") is one of the best known hymns by the Protestant Reformers, Protestant Reformer Martin Luther, a prolific hymnwriter. Luther wrote the words and composed the hymn ...

'', was sung in German ''("Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott")''. After that morning's event, crowds gathered to watch the unveiling ceremony. A parade composed of people from

organizations took place, ending at the church. The group included 200 members of the Martin Luther Association, and many pastors, both local and from nearby states. A temporary platform had been built around the statue, with around 1,200 people in the stands. Dignitaries, including Supreme Court Justice

Samuel Freeman Miller Samuel Freeman Miller (April 5, 1816 – October 13, 1890) was an American lawyer and physician who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, associate justice of the United States Supreme Court, U.S. Supreme ...

, were seated on a stage in front of the statue, which was draped with the U.S. flag. The unveiling event began with the

United States Marine Band The United States Marine Band is the premier band of the United States Marine Corps. Established by act of Congress on July 11, 1798, it is the oldest of the United States military bands and the oldest professional musical organization in the ...

playing '' The Creation''. This was followed by a prayer and a speech about the statue's history, before the band played ''Organ Sonata''. U.S. Senator Omar D. Conger and other gave additional speeches before the band played ''A Mighty Fortress Is Our God'' and the unveiling took place. During the unveiling, the temporary stands collapsed, sending hundreds of people into the crowd of 5,000 onlookers. The event ended with a prayer, and a reception took place that evening. The Luther statue became the city's first outdoor sculpture of a religious figure and was the first public monument of Luther erected in the U.S.

Later history

Luther Place Memorial Church received its commonly known name after the Luther statue was installed. Before that, it was Memorial English Lutheran Church and then the Memorial Evangelical Lutheran Church of Washington, D.C. The "memorial" in the church's name was chosen because the congregation was founded not long after the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, and it was a way for the church to celebrate the end of the conflict and the end of slavery. After the statue was installed in Washington, D.C., there were many other replicas of the statue installed throughout the country. On November 8, 1964, the church was added to the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites (DCIHS). The statue is a

to the church's listing. On July 16, 1973, the church was added to the

(NRHP). The statue and church were designated as contributing properties to the Greater Fourteenth Street Historic District, listed on the DCIHS on August 22, 1994, and the NRHP on November 9, 1994. The statue and church were two of many local landmarks that were vandalized with paint and feces in 2013.

Location and design

The statue is located on Square 244, a triangular lot bounded by 14th Street, N Street, Thomas Circle, and Vermont Avenue NW. The statue is on the front yard of the church's property with the facade's tower in the background. It faces Thomas Circle, one of the main traffic circles in the city. The statue is sited just behind one of four triangular lots around Thomas Circle that are administered by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

. The bronze statue of Luther is 11.5-feet (3.5 m) tall. The granite pedestal it rests on is 14-feet (4.3 m) tall and its diameter is 11.5 feet. Luther is depicted not as a

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

, but as a preacher, wearing a long robe. His right leg is forward from his body. He is holding a

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

with his left hand and has his right fist resting on the book. He is looking up slightly, appearing defiant, and his curly hair partly covers his face. The setting for the statue was his excommunication trial at the

Diet of Worms The Diet of Worms of 1521 ( ) was an Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire), imperial diet (a formal deliberative assembly) of the Holy Roman Empire called by Emperor Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V and conducted in the Imperial Free City o ...

in 1521. The pedestal is composed of three tiers. It contains a copper box with a Bible, documents on Luther and the statue, and other papers. The box was hermetically sealed inside the pedestal in 1884. Inscriptions on the monument include "MARTIN LUTHER" on the front of the statue and the German inscription "E. RIETSCHEL FACIT. GEGOSSEN LAUCHHAMMER 1884" on the rear side. File:Martin Luther statue.jpg, Statue and pedestal File:Martin-luther-church.JPG, The statue and church tower File:Thomas Circle - Washington, D.C..jpg, Thomas Circle in 1922 with Luther Place Memorial Church and the Luther statue in the background File:Vermont Avenue, Washington, D.C. 4a18766v.jpg, The statue in the early 20th-century

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Luther Statue, Martin 1884 establishments in Washington, D.C. 1884 sculptures Bronze sculptures in Washington, D.C.

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

Historic district contributing properties in Washington, D.C. Logan Circle (Washington, D.C.) Monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C. Outdoor sculptures in Washington, D.C. Sculptures of men in Washington, D.C. Statues in Washington, D.C. Statues of writers