MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Tuesday marked a major milestone for the National Civil Rights Museum in downtown Memphis, as it embarked on its first major renovations in a decade.
Supporters took part in a groundbreaking for the museum's planned Founders Park and Legacy Building, which will go next to the existing museum at the Lorraine Motel.
The Legacy Building's contents will be set to the theme of Doctor Martin Luther King Jr.'s last book, 'Where do we go from here? Chaos or community?'
Dr. Russell Wittington, the museum's president, said the new facilities will provide more powerful messaging and educational opportunities for visitors year round.
"The opportunity to be able to bring people together, to bring community both inside and outside, is such a powerful one, that we feel compelled to be at the center of the national conversation on civil and human rights and this renovation propels us to be able to do so,” said Dr. Wittington.
The National Civil Rights Museum president said these renovations are expected to be completed by the middle of 2025, ideally by Juneteenth 2025.