Clayborn Temple

Clayborn Temple, formerly Second Presbyterian Church, is a historic place in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 for local architectural significance. It was upgraded to national significance under Clayborn Temple in 2017 due to its role in the events of the Sanitation Workers' Strike of 1968. The historic structure was sold to the A.M.E. Church in 1949, which named the building after their bishop.HistoryIn 1888, the congregation of Second Presbyterian Church, decided to purchase a lot on the corner of Pontotoc and Hernando for the construction of their new building. Ground was broken for the construction on February 2, 1891, and the cornerstone of the church was laid on May 14. Sunday, January 1, 1893, the church held its dedication service. All the presbyterian pastors of the city joined the congregation for the service.The congregation moved to East Memphis and sold the building to the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1949. Throughout the 1960s, Clayborn Temple became the city’s staging ground for the civil rights movement, particularly the organizing headquarters of the Memphis Sanitation Strike.ArchitectureBuilt in 1891, this Romanesque Revival ecclesiastical architecture has cross gabled roofs, constructed of limestone blocks, rusticated externally with heavy timber framing members forming the roof trusses, nave ceiling with wood beams that are suspended from the roof trusses by 2 x 4 studs. It has several unique features, for instance the chancel is situated in the corner rather that the center of the sanctuary. When Second Presbyterian dedicated its new sanctuary in January 1, 1892, it was the largest church in America south of the Ohio River.