It is a copy of the statue created by Ernst Friedrich August Rietschel as part of the 1868 Luther Monument in Worms, Germany.

It is also a contributing property to the Greater Fourteenth Street Historic District, which is also listed on the NRHP and DCIHS.

The total cost of the statue and granite pedestal, designed by Adolf Cluss and Paul Schulze, was $9,000.

The idea for erecting a statue in honor of Martin Luther, who was responsible for the Protestant Reformation and Lutheranism, was first mentioned by Charles A. Schieru of New York.

[3][4] Many people submitted designs for the statue's pedestal, and the architects chosen were Adolf Cluss and Paul Schulze.

[3][5] 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.

[3] 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.

One of Luther's songs, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, was sung in German ("Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott").

The group included 200 members of the Martin Luther Association, and many pastors, both local and from nearby states.

Dignitaries, including Supreme Court Justice Samuel Freeman Miller, were seated on a stage in front of the statue, which was draped with the 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.

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 is sited just behind one of four triangular lots around Thomas Circle that are administered by the National Park Service.