As the memorial construction got underway , the jury suggested modifications to make Perry 's original design more open and inviting . These included shortening and some physical piercing of the walls to allow greater visual penetration of the entire structure . Perry worked with Mannheimer and Daniel Edwards , who sculpted and oversaw casting of the figures of King and Kennedy , to fine-tune the design . To relieve the monolithic solidity of the steel walls , the three conceived the idea of openings contoured to suggest shadows cast by the half-figures . After several attempts to shine bright lights on the half-figures to create actual shadows , Mannheimer drew the desired contours in chalk on the steel walls , which were laser cut and smoothed to create the cut-outs . The total cost of creating and installing the memorial , including two markers with bronze plaques , approached $ 200,000 . One of the plaques contains the text of Kennedy 's speech , parts of which were later inscribed on his own memorial at Arlington National Cemetery after the senator 's assassination later that year . A marker near the actual spot from which Kennedy spoke contains remnants of guns confiscated by the Indianapolis police or collected as part of a city amnesty program created in conjunction with the Indiana Pacers . The contest required the confiscated weapons to be used in the memorial 's design
senator 's assassination
Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy
Landmark for Peace Memorial