CLAYBORN TEMPLE DESTROYED MEMPHIS, TN APRIL 28, 2025

MEMPHIS COMMERCIAL APPEAL  -  MEMPHIS, TN - APRIL 28, 2025

• A large fire significantly damaged the historic Clayborn Temple in Downtown Memphis.
• The fire was reported around 1:30 a.m. and firefighters battled the blaze for hours.
• The temple served as a key location during the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike and hosted Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Large portions of the historic Clayborn Temple in Downtown Memphis burned to the ground on April 28. The site was a key meeting spot for the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike and hosted Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In a post to X, formerly known as Twitter, the Memphis Fire Fighters Association said the call about the fire came in around 1:30 a.m.

By 7:30, firefighters were still putting water on hot spots and the majority of the structure had been destroyed. Investigators were on scene to try to determine the cause of the blaze. No one was injured in the fire.

The site, at 294 Hernando St., had been undergoing years of renovations to preserve the iconic structure, but had struggled to get all the funding for needed repairs.