Memphis church pivotal in Martin Luther King Jr.s final days suffers devastating fire: Inside is a total loss

A historic Black church in downtown Memphis that was the organizing point for Martin Luther King Jr.’s final campaign in 1968 caught fire early Monday morning and suffered significant damage.“The inside is a total loss, but we’re still somewhat hopeful that some of the facade will be able to be left standing,” Memphis Fire Chief Gina Sweat said at a Monday morning news conference.She said the fire was reported at 1:39 a.m.

through a commercial alarm service.Local fire and police officers are investigating the cause, along with the U.S.Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

It is “way too early” to know anything more, Sweat said.King was drawn to Memphis in 1968 to support some 1,300 predominantly Black sanitation workers who went on strike to protest inhumane treatment.

Two workers had been crushed in a garbage compactor in 1964, but the faulty equipment had not been replaced.On Feb.

1, 1968, two more men, Echol Cole, 36, and Robert Walker, 30, were crushed in the compactor.The two men were contract workers, so they did not qualify for workmen’s compensation and had no life insurance.Workers wanted to unionize and fought for higher pay and safer working conditions.City officials declared the strike illegal and arrested scores of strikers and protesters.Before the fire, the Clayborn Temple was undergoing a $25 million restoration that was slated for completion in 2026.

The initiative aims to preserve the architectural and historical integrity of the Romanesque revival church and includes the restoration of a 3,000-pipe grand organ.At the same time, the project seeks to help revitalize the local neighborhood with a museum, cultural programming, and community outreach, according to a news release on the renovation.“This morning we woke up to heartbreaking news: a devastating fire has ravaged one of our city’s greatest treasures, Clayborn Temple,” Memphis Mayor Paul Young wrote in a statement posted to social media.

“C...