Tomorrow at 1 pm, we welcome our next live chat guest, Kirk Savage, author of Monument Wars: Washington, the National Mall, and the Transformation of the Memorial Landscape.

As work begins on the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, the future of the National Mall is uncertain. The book traces the evolving role of the National Mall as the cultural role of monuments and memorials has likewise changed.

Although Congress declared the Mall to be a “substantially completed work of civic Art,” the MLK Memorial, the National Museum of American History, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial have all received exemptions to build in special reserve. At the same time, the Mall remains a popular, if crowded place for local recreation.

Professor Savage is Departmental Chair of History of Art and Architecture at the University of Pittsburgh, and also author of and Standing Soldiers, Kneeling Slaves, about the depiction of slavery in public art.

Feel free to leave your questions in the comments and we’ll select some for the discussion.

Update: The chat is here.

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Tagged: live chat, mlk memorial, public spaces, the mall

Neil Flanagan grew up in Ward 3 before graduating from the Yale School of Architecture. He is pursuing an architecture license. He really likes walking around and looking at stuff.