The Memphis church pivotal in Martin Luther King Jr.’s final days suffers a devastating fire

By ADRIAN SAINZ and TRAVIS LOLLER MEMPHIS Tenn AP A historic Black church in downtown Memphis that was the organizing point for Martin Luther King Jr s final campaign in caught fire early Monday morning and suffered considerable damage The inside is a total loss but we re still somewhat hopeful that several of the fa ade will be able to be left standing Memphis Fire Chief Gina Sweat disclosed at a Monday morning news conference She disclosed the fire was broadcasted at a m through a commercial alarm function Local fire and police officers are researching the cause along with the U S Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives It is way too early to know anything more Sweat explained King was drawn to Memphis in to promotion specific predominantly Black sanitation workers who went on strike to protest inhumane medicine Two workers had been crushed in a garbage compactor in but the faulty equipment had not been replaced On Feb two more men Echol Cole and Robert Walker 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 desired to unionize and fought for higher pay and safer working conditions City officers declared the strike illegal and arrested scores of strikers and protesters Before the fire the Clayborn Temple was undergoing a million restoration that was slated for completion in The initiative aims to preserve the architectural and historical integrity of the Romanesque revival church and includes the restoration of a -pipe grand organ At the same time the project seeks to help revitalize the local neighborhood with a museum cultural programing and public 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 report posted to social media Clayborn is more than a historic building It is sacred ground It is the beating heart of the civil rights movement a symbol of struggle hope and triumph that belongs not just to Memphis but to the world FILE The Rev Ralph Abernathy right and Bishop Julian Smith left flank Dr Martin Luther King Jr during a civil rights march in Memphis Tenn March AP Photo Jack Thornell File Sadyya Rockett-Miller grieves center The historic Clayborn Temple a landmark from the civil rights movement with ties to Martin Luther King caught fire Monday April in Memphis Tenn AP Photo Karen Pulfer Focht Sadyya Rockett-Miller and her husband Andre LeMoyne Miller grieve outside of the historic Clayborn Temple a landmark from the civil rights movement with ties to Martin Luther King that caught fire Monday April in Memphis Tenn AP Photo Karen Pulfer Focht FILE A bronze and steel sculpture honoring a sanitation workers strike that brought the Rev Martin Luther King Jr to Memphis in was dedicated on April in Memphis Tenn The memorial sits next to the Clayborn Temple which served as the headquarters of the strike AP Photo Adrian Sainz Sadyya Rockett-Miller and her husband Andre LeMoyne Miller grieve outside of the historic Clayborn Temple a landmark from the civil rights movement with ties to Martin Luther King that caught fire Monday April in Memphis Tenn AP Photo Karen Pulfer Focht Show Caption of FILE The Rev Ralph Abernathy right and Bishop Julian Smith left flank Dr Martin Luther King Jr during a civil rights march in Memphis Tenn March AP Photo Jack Thornell File Expand Just south of Beale Street Clayborn Temple was built in as the Second Presbyterian Church and originally served an all-white congregation In the building was sold to an African Methodist Episcopal congregation and renamed Clayborn Temple according to the release Memphis sanitation workers started striking in February after Cole and Walker were killed on the job The Clayborn Temple hosted nightly meetings and the campaign s iconic I AM A MAN posters were made in its basement The temple was also a staging point for marches to City Hall They included a March march led by King a rally that turned violent when police and protesters clashed on the iconic Beale Street and a -year-old was killed When marchers retreated to the temple police fired tear gas inside People broke various of the stained-glass windows to escape King promised to lead a second peaceful march in Memphis but he was killed by a sniper while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel on April After King was assassinated and the strike ended with the workers securing a pay raise the church s influence waned It fell into disrepair and was vacant for years before the renovation effort that took off in thanks to a grant from the National Park Organization Clayborn Temple was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in Anasa Troutman has been leading the restoration effort as executive director of Historic Clayborn Temple To everyone who has loved supported and prayed for Historic Clayborn Temple we are still committed to her restoration she wrote in a Monday comment urging supporters to donate money if they are able Jimmie Tucker one of the architects who has worked on the restoration for years spent Monday morning working on a plan to try to shore up the exterior walls As a native Memphian this project is personal he explained It has so much meaning Tucker mentioned he had been speaking to particular of the people who helped after a similar Memphis fire at First United Methodist Church in He revealed that project gives him hope because they were able to rebuild He was also encouraged that the mayor pledged to advocacy the project Young noted in a social media declaration that the city will help ensure this sacred place rises again Loller released from Nashville Tennessee