During Rennovation

Restoration of the Clayborn Temple

The restoration of the 128-year-old Clayborn Temple will cost $18 million. The Temple preservation work is partnered with the local organization CLTV (Collective) to locate and include Black artists in the restoration. The aim is to restore the accuracy of the temple at the time of the Sanitation Workers' strike and to include women as a part of the Clayborn heritage.

The restoration will require several phases to secure the structure and secure the building as a center to recognize its history and to remain active in civil rights and community activities. In the initial phase, stabilization of the building’s infrastructure is necessary to prepare for more invasive projects. Exterior and interior structural supports were added before the removal of debris from the interior. Then the sanctuary floor was reconfigured and a new electrical system was installed. The next phase focused exclusively on the building’s exterior envelope. This includes an external envelope including the roof, reconditioning and installation of stained glass windows, and the restoration of the bell tower.

Once the exterior structure is sound and sealed, the interior will be restored. This will include the sanctuary, the original pipe organ, and rooms telling the history of the building while maintaining architectural integrity and the structure. Clayborn Temple will reopen as a cultural arts center for community-oriented programs with a museum in the basement. The emphasis will still be on the church’s history, intertwining with stories of the people who lived in Memphis. The museum will also include interactive exhibits relating to the Temple and the role the congregation played in the civil rights movement.

Images of work to stabilize and seal the exterior shell before continuing with interior restoration (images taken in Auguest 2022)

I AM A MAN PLAZA

(images taken in August 2022)

On the south side of Clayborn Temple stands the I AM A MAN Plaza, which celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the 1968 Sanitation Workers' Strike. Fittingly, the plaza is situated in the space where striking workers and activists gathered as they prepared to march to City Hall. The centerpiece of the space is a massive sculpture commemorating the iconic signs and slogan of 1968 -- "I Am A Man" -- that continue to resonate as effective rallying cries in contemporary struggles for equal rights. The plaza contains engravings featuring the names of all of the sanitation workers who participated in the strike as well as texts selected by the Memphis community. Commissioned by Urban Art and the City of Memphis, Cliff Garten Studio, John Jackson, and spoken word artist Steve Fox completed the plaza in 2018.

I had no idea what the Clayborn Temple was when I signed up to visit it with Dr. Lyon, Ms. Prillaman, and my fellow Cliosophic Society Members. My plan was to go into the experience completely open-minded and learn as much as I can, and that’s exactly what I did. The Clayborn Temple was originally the Second Presbyterian church. In 1949 it was sold to a Black congregation who renamed it after their Bishop John Henry Clayborn. During the Sanitation Worker’s Strike of 1968, civil and labor rights activists used the basement of the church to create the well-known “I AM A MAN” signs used during the strike. Today, there stands a monument in the shape of the words on those signs, and in the letters is engraved MLK’s “I've Been to the Mountaintop” speech; meant to be delivered at Clayborn the day before MLK’s death. On a wall behind the monument are the names of each of the sanitation workers, and on the ground is a timeline of the strikes and protests. As I walked around the temple and the monument, I realized that there was no excuse for my not knowing about this significant piece of Memphis history, and that everyone should take the opportunity to visit. It was a wonderful experience and I will definitely be visiting again next May when the Clayborn Temple is completely restored and open to the public. Leah Balkaran, Class of 2023