Clayborn Temple wall collapses due to strong winds: MFD
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Part of the fire-damaged remains of Clayborn Temple collapsed due to strong winds and severe storm conditions, the Memphis Fire Department says.
At 9:30 Wednesday night, the Memphis Fire Department Incident Commander advised dispatch that the east wall of Clayborn Temple had collapsed due to strong winds and severe storm conditions.
ORIGINAL Fire destroys Clayborn Temple, historic Memphis church with ties to Civil Rights movement
The historic church at the intersection of Hernando Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue went up in flames around 1:30 a.m. Monday.
Clayborn Temple was the launching point for a march for sanitation workers' rights that brought Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Memphis in 1968. The iconic 'I Am A Man' signs used in the march were printed there.
Dr. King planned to march with sanitation workers from Clayborn Temple on April 8, before he was assassinated on April 4 on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel. His wife, Coretta Scott King, led strikers and thousands of supporters in his place.
ATF, MFD search for clues after Clayborn Temple lost to fire
The building dates to 1892, when it was originally Second Presbyterian Church. In 1949, the building was sold to the African Methodist Episcopal church and was renamed Clayborn Temple.
In 2018, the National Trust for Historic Preservation officially named the church a national treasure. In 2023, a $6 million restoration of the temple was completed and is the site of the I Am A Man Plaza.
Mayor Paul Young visited the site Monday morning, saying that the work that went on in Clayborn Temple, one of Memphis's greatest treasures, will continue.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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