A colorful and aromatic display of flowering plants, most of which are native Missouri flora, offers a natural ebb and flow of life and energy. A visually captivating semicircular labyrinth, surrounded by a five-step granite amphitheater with eight triangular upright columns frame the structure and highlight the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
It’s the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial at Battle Gardens at 800 W. Stadium Boulevard, a legacy public art project that is part of Columbia’s expansive system of parks and trails. The memorial area was dedicated on August 28, 1993 – the 30th anniversary of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. The site is also a trailhead for the MKT Trail that runs from Columbia’s downtown to the Hindman Junction rest shelter on the Katy Trail.
But did you know …
Many of Columbia’s parks are located on land reclaimed from use as sewage lagoons, one example of how city planners instituted a sort of recycling on a grand scale even before the city’s solid waste division began a residential trash recycling program. The MLK Memorial is, in some ways, the pinnacle of that reclamation process. The large, paved parking area there was once a sewage sludge drying bed.
And now …
According to the city’s website, “The memorial is a place for community and cultural events to occur in a completely accessible site. The Martin Luther King, Jr. at Battle Garden is truly an environment designed to bring people together, whether for quiet meditation or active participation.”
The sculpture artist, Barbara Grygutis of Tucson, Arizona, was chosen in a national competition from among twenty-five submitted models. A five-member regional jury and a three-member national jury selected her proposal. The proposals were also posted at the Columbia Art League, eliciting some 500 comments and votes that were submitted to the juries for consideration.
The gardens can be reserved for outdoor weddings. There is also a reservable picnic shelter, a reservable MKT Trailside building, and seasonal restrooms. The 4.5-acre park is open daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. The trailhead has exercise stations, seasonal water fountains, and an emergency telephone kiosk.
