November 18th 2023.
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic birth home will be undergoing essential renovations, leading to its closure for the next two years. The Auburn Avenue home, located in the Martin Luther King National Historical Park and Preservation District, will be closed to the public from Nov. 27, 2021, to November 2025, according to the National Park Service.
No tours will be conducted during the closure, and the temporary shutdown of King’s home is to allow for long-awaited renovations to finally begin. The Queen Anne-style home was built in 1895, and the work to be done is a part of a routine schedule to maintain the historic civil rights leader’s home.
The National Park Service acquired King’s home in 2018, and plans for renovations and upgrades have been laid out. Skilled work crews will be rehabilitating the major central systems in the home during the two year closure. These systems include the electrical and mechanical systems, as well as a new HVAC and fire suppression system for safety. The workers will also be building a new crawl space in the home.
NPS has also outlined plans for repairs of the windows and doors in King’s home, as well as a partial replacement of the non-historic interior wall coverings. Cosmetic repairs to the exterior, such as painting and reinforcing the porch, outside fence, and driveway, are also planned.
The museum collection and other historic items, typically housed in the home, will be removed and stored in a safe off-site location on Nov. 27. The Park Service will continue to work with the King Center in order to provide interpretation services and other visitor programs. The King Center will be offering walking tours of the off-site historical objects, virtual tours of the home, and special commemorations and events on related holidays.
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