Clayborn Temple will be rebuilt, director says; New $1.5 million grant to jump start it
Clayborn Temple will be rebuilt.
That was the message on May 28 as hundreds of people — civil rights leaders, Memphis officials, nonprofit directors, tourists and residents — stood before the skeleton of Clayborn Temple. Significant parts of the church burned down in a fire in the early morning of April 28.
"For me, this is personal," Memphis Mayor Paul Young said. "I love Memphis to the bottom, like to my core. I love this city. This structure embolizes who we are as a community. And it's really, really, really important that we make sure that we come together and make sure that we turn this into a showcase — a space where a tragedy occurred, but we rise from that tragedy greater than we were before."
The sentiment was echoed by Memphis City Council Chairman Ford Canale. It was one echoed by U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen. It was one echoed by Martin Luther King III, the son of the famed civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who was killed in Memphis in 1968.
"I can't wait to be back when this masterpiece is done, erected and dedicated once again to stand as a shining light — a shining example — a place of love, a place of bringing people together," King said Wednesday after noting how much of "a daunting task" returning to the city his father was assassinated in can be.
And rebuilding Clayborn Temple was the entire message delivered by Brent Leggs — the executive director of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund — who put action to the tune of a $1.5 million grant behind his words. The grant is backed by the Ford Foundation and the Mellon Foundation.
Design work has already begun for the rebuild, according to Anasa Troutman, the executive director for Clayborn Temple and The BIG We. Though an exact path is not yet clear, she said the new design will incorporate parts of the temple that are left standing. But, aside from that, she said she sees the "possibility" in rebuilding.
"Today, collectively as a community, we are turning toward the future. We are going to put away our grief for a few minutes. We might cry tomorrow. We might cry next week. But today, while we're together, we are going to rejoice in the beauty and the power and the possibility of what remains behind us. Clayborn Temple has been damaged, but it has not been destroyed," Troutman told the crowd.
After speaking, Troutman told The Commercial Appeal that, despite the process "starting from scratch" in terms of the design plans, they are not "starting from zero" in terms of funding. She said funds gathered from the organization's initial push to reconstruct Clayborn Temple are able to be used for the new rebuild.
There is not yet a timeline for the rebuild, but people who wish to donate to fund the new project can do so online at Clayborn.org or by emailing rebuild@clayborn.org.
Much of Clayborn Temple burned to the ground on April 28. The Memphis Fire Fighters Association, in a post on X, formerly Twitter, said the call came early in the morning, and that firefighters were able to get much of the fire put out within an hour of arriving on the scene.
Though much of the fire was put out within that timeframe, crews could be seen suppressing the fire around 7 a.m. that day. The building was left a husk of its former self.
On May 1, parts of the remaining church collapsed from strong winds and severe storm conditions.
A joint investigation between the Memphis Fire Department and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was opened on April 28. The investigation saw many surrounding streets closed. Some of those streets have remained closed since the investigation was closed on May 21.
Investigators concluded the fire was "intentionally set on the interior of the historic church." It also revealed a person of interest. The Memphis Fire Department included pictures of the person, shown walking the streets near Clayborn Temple, in a social media post.
An $11,000 reward is being offered by CrimeStoppers for any information that leads to an arrest. Tips can be called in to CrimeStoppers at (901) 528-2274 or the state arson hotline at 1-800-762-3017.
Troutman hosted a digital press conference the day after the fire was ruled intentional. During that press conference, she said a fire had happened at her home more than two weeks prior to the Clayborn Temple fire. Another one happened near a family property in East Tennessee, a week before that.
"I have spent a lot of time trying to convince myself that this is all a crazy coincidence, but it's just hard to imagine that there's not something there," Troutman said, adding that it was too early to say if the incidents were targeted.
Lucas Finton covers crime, policing, jails, the courts and criminal justice policy for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached by phone or email: (901)208-3922 and Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com, and followed on X @LucasFinton.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Clayborn Temple's post-arson rebuild starts with $1.5 million grant
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