B09_SCLC_HSR_FINAL_0001.pdf

National Park Service US Department of the Interior

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park Atlanta, Georgia

SOUTHERN CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS

PRINCE HALL GRAND LODGE OF GEORGIA

HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT

JANUARY 2023

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK

PRINCE HALL GRAND LODGE OF GEORGIA

SOUTHERN CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE OFFICES

HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT

JANUARY 2023

Approved by:_______________________________________________________________ Superintendent, Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park Date

Recommended by: ___________________________________________________________ Chief, CRPSD, Interior Region 2, National Park Service Date

Recommended by: ___________________________________________________________ Deputy Regional Director, Interior Region 2, National Park Service Date

Approved by: ____________________________________________________________ Regional Director, Interior Region 2, National Park Service Date

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 11

Management Summary 13 Statement of Signifi cance 14 Period of Signifi cance 14 Anticipated Use and Treatment 15 Purpose 15 Methodology 15 Summary of Findings 16 Recommendations for Further Study 17

PART 1A - DEVELOPMENTAL HISTORY 18

Background and Context 20 Chronology of Development and Use 28

PART 1B - EXISTING CONDITION 41

Organization of Existing Conditions 43 Summary Architectural Description 46 Exterior Signs and Awnings 46 Exterior Doors 47 Exterior Windows 48 Interior Windows 49 Millwork 50 Elevator and Stairs 51 Interior Wall, Ceiling, and Floor Finishes 52 See Feature Inventory on page 54 for room-by-room detail of fi nishes. 52 Lighting 56 MEP Systems 56 Summary of Character-Defi ning Features of SCLC Spaces 57

PART II - TREATMENT AND USE 59

Introduction to Part II 61 Historic Preservation Objectives 61 Requirements for Treatment 66 Treatment Recommendations 66

APPENDICES

Appendix A - Post-1968 Photographs of SCLC Offi ces Appendix B - Relevant Pages from the 1964 Publication, “SCLC in Pictures and Words” Appendix C - Historic Images Keyed to 1964 Floorplan Appendix D - 1955 Architectural Drawings “Additions to Prince Hall” Edward C. Miller Architects Appendix E - 2019 Documentation of the Prince Hall Building Appendix F - 2022 Architectural Drawings for Mason’s Rehabilitation Project Appendix G - 2022 Structural Assessment Appendix H - 2022 Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, and Fire Protection Assessment Appendix I - Transcription of Xernona Clayton Interviews Appendix J - 2022 Cass C Cost Estimate

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Map of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical park (MALU), Atlanta, GA, National Park Service, 2010; LAS, 2022. 12 Figure 2: Diagrams of the existing fl oorplans of the former SCLC offi ces on the fi rst fl oor (left) and basement (right) of the Prince Hall building. North is up; south faces Auburn Avenue. LAS, 2022. 12 Figure 3: The Prince Hall building in 1955, just prior to construction of the new addition. LBGPNS1-092a, Lane Brothers Commercial Photographers Photographic Collection, 1920-1976. Photographic Collection, Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library. 20 Figure 4: View of the Prince Hall Masonic building, c. 1963. Orphan image (uncredited, undated, widely reproduced), provided to the author by Sweet Auburn Works. 23 Figure 5: Martin Luther King Jr., in front of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Headquarters, Atlanta, Georgia, February 1968. Benedict Fernandez. Accessed from https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.194796.html 24 Figure 6: Basement of the Prince Hall building as shown in the 1955 renovation drawings. LAS, 2022. 29 Figure 7: Plan of the fi rst fl oor of the Prince Hall building showing the arrangement of spaces and features in circa 1964. LAS, 2022. 30 Figure 8: Plan of the basement of the Prince Hall building showing the arrangement of SCLC spaces and features in circa 1964.

LAS, 2022. 31

Figure 9: Martin Luther King, Jr. in his SCLC offi ce. Bob Fitch, 1966. Stanford University Libraries, Department of Special Collections. 33 Figure 11: Dr. King in his offi ce at the SCLC in Atlanta, c. 1967-1968. Benedict J. Fernandez, 1989. Corcoran Collection (Gift of Eastman Kodak Company and Michael S. Engl). 33 Figure 10: Martin Luther King, Jr. in his SCLC offi ce. Bob Fitch, 1966. Stanford University Libraries, Department of Special Collections. 33 Figure 12: Finance Department, “SCLC in Pictures and Words” SCLC, 1964 34 Figure 13: Secretary to Dr. King, Miss Dora E. McDonald, “SCLC in Pictures and Words” SCLC, 1964 34 Figure 14: Executive Secretaries, “SCLC in Pictures and Words” SCLC, 1964. 35 Figure 15: SCLC receptionist, Miriam Smith, c. 1964. Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archive, and Rare Book Library of Emory University 35 Figure 16: Fred Bennette and Elizabeth Jones, Atlanta Voter Registration Offi ce, “SCLC in Pictures and Words” SCLC, 1964.

Figure 17: Ed Clayton and Barbara Suarez, Public Relations “SCLC in Pictures and Words” SCLC, 1964. 36 Figure 18: Delores Hall, Citizenship School, “SCLC in Pictures and Words” SCLC, 1964. 36 Figure 19: Dr. Martin Luther King points to Selma, Alabama on a map at the SCLC offi ces, 1/15/1965. Bettman/Getty 36 Figure 20: Harry Boyte, Special Assistant to the President and Barbara Hicks. “SCLC in Pictures and Words” SCLC, 1964. 37 Figure 21: Addressograph, Margaret Gamble. “SCLC in Pictures and Words” SCLC, 1964. 37 Figure 22: Printing, John A. Davis. “SCLC in Pictures and Words” SCLC, 1964. 37 Figure 23: Unidentifi ed person in an SCLC offi ce, likely in the basement, undated. Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archive, and Rare Book Library of Emory University. 37 Figure 24: Unidentifi ed person working at a printing machine in the basement of Prince Hall building, undated. Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archive, and Rare Book Library of Emory University. 38 Figure 25: Dr. Martin Luther King and Andrew Young at a news conference on the third fl oor of the Prince Hall building.

November, 1964. Getty/Bettmann Archive 38 Figure 26: Views of the Prince Hall Masonic building looking northwest (top) and northeast (bottom). Terri Gillette, New South Associates, 2022. 41 Figure 27: Existing condition fl oorplan of the former SCLC space on the fi rst fl oor of the Prince Hall Building. LAS 2022. 43 Figure 28: Cropped view of Figure 4, annotated in reference to descriptions of historic signage. LAS, 2022 45 Figure 29: Corner-mounted Masonic Sign. Terri Gillette, New South Associates, 2022. 45 Figure 30: Non-contributing aluminum doors at the 334 Auburn Avenue entrance to the Prince Hall building. Terri Gillette, New South Associates, 2022. 46 Figure 31: Original wood doors at the 332 Auburn Avenue entrance to the Prince Hall building. Terri Gillette, New South Associates, 2022. 46 Figure 32: Historic fi xed window with fan-light transom facing Auburn Avenue. Terri Gillette, New South Associates, 2022. 47 Figure 33: Windows on the Hilliard Street side of the Prince Hall Building. Terri Gillette, New South Associates, 2022. 47 Figure 34: Historic door facing corridor from Dr. King’s former offi ce. The locks and knob are not contributing. Terri Gillette, New South Associates, 2022. 48

Figure 35: Interior window to printing offi ce. Terri Gillette, New South Associates, 2022. 48 Figure 36: Interior window to Room 014. Terri Gillette, New South Associates, 2022. 48 Figure 37: Millwork profi les identifi ed in former SCLC offi ces. LAS, 2022. 49 Figure 38: Rear stairs from the fi rst fl oor to the basement. The metal railing is from 1955, but the closet on the left appears to have been added later. New South Associates, Terri Gillette, 2022 50 Figure 39: SCLC darkroom and printing offi ce in the basement of the Prince Hall building. New South Associates, Terri Gillette, 2022. 51 Figure 40: Several rooms in the basement are faced with the thing wood veneer paneling seen in this image of Rooms 109 and

110. New South Associates, Terri Gillette, 2022 51 Figure 41: Extant SCLC printer and corner shelf (top right) located in Room007 in the basement of the Prince Hall Building.

New South Associates, Terri Gillette, 2022. 51 Figure 42: Two views of the existing former SCLC space on the fi rst fl oor of the Prince Hall building. The both views are facing north, the top image is on the left side of the space and the bottom image is on the right side. The brightly lit space on the top left of the top image is the locaiton of Dr. King’s former offi ce. New South Associates, Terri Gillette, 2022. 52 Figure 43: Non-contributing vestibule’s interior showing vinyl clad door and fi xed teller window in gypsum wall board walls.

New South Associates, Terri Gillette, 2022 53 Figure 44: Decommissioned heater attached to the ceiling in the fi rst fl oor corridor. LAS, 2022. 55 Figure 45: Decommissioned boiler in the basement. LAS, 2022. 55 Figure 46: Existing condition diagrams with SCLC boundary of the fi rst fl oor (left0 and basement (right) in the Prince Hall building. LAS, 2022 61 Figure 47: Three undated views of the SCLC President’s offi ce during Reverend Joseph Lowery’s tenure. Top is facing west and shows some of the same features as seen in Figure 11. The bottom two images are facing northwest. Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archive, and Rare Book Library of Emory University 72 Figure 48: Two additional images of Rev. Lowery at the SCLC offi ces. The left image shows Rev. Lowery standing next to a piece of furniture along the north wall of the conference room, a boarded-up opening in the door to his offi ce (lower left) likely contained a louver. The image on the right shows Lowery talking to two unidentifi ed men at the conference room table. Lowery’s offi ce can be seen through the door in the background. At the time these pictures were taken, the conference room had been expanded. Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archive, and Rare Book Library of Emory University. 73 Figure 49: This may be an image of the conference room prior to its expansion. The door in the upper left corresponds to door D1.03 in Figure 7 and the door in the upper right matches Door D1.05. The wainscot paneling appears to be similar to grooved wood veneer paneling found elsewhere in the SCLC offi ces. Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archive, and Rare Book Library of Emory University 73 Figure 50: Three additional undated views of the conference after its expansion. The top two images face southwest and southeast and show the fanlight window facing Auburn Avenue. The top image also shows Door D1.05 on the left with a wall beyond it.

The bottom image faces north and shows Doors D1.06 and D1.07 on the right and Door D1.04 in the background. Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archive, and Rare Book Library of Emory University 74 Figure 52: Three images of the exterior of the Prince Hall building showing the incremental changes to the SCLC sign. The image on the left is from the day of Martin Luther King Jr’s funeral in Atlanta, April 1968. The center image is of Ralph David Abernathy, President of the SCLC outside the SCLC in February 1970 - Also note the green paint on the outside of the fanlight windows. Both AP Photo/Atlanta Journal-Constitution accessed from https://www.apimages.com/historical-photo-archive 8/17/2022. The image on the right is of Reverend Joseph Lowery (with Buddhist monks) during his presidency, undated. Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archive, and Rare Book Library of Emory University. 75 Figure 51: Undated image of an unidentifi ed person sitting in Room 106 with the same pass through window seen in Figure 13.

Doors D1.06 and D1.07 to Room 102 can be seen in the background. Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archive, and Rare Book Library of Emory University. 75

PROJECT TEAM

Author/Lead Investigator: Charles Lawrence, Lord Aeck Sargent Principal: Jack Pyburn, FAIA, Lord Aeck Sargent Interview, photography, and additional research by New South Associates:

Project Manager: Jackie Tyson Historian: Velma Fann Photography: Terri Gillette Videography: Cary Harrison Structural assessment: Stephanie Glien, PE, Uzun & Case Mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fi re protection assessment: Kevin Champion, PE, and Mufdi Luah, PE, ME3 Engineers

Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park:

Superintendent, Judy Forte Chief of Cultural Resources, Ash Phillips Chief of Facility Management, Elvis Babilonia

Publication Credits:

Information in this publication may be copied and used, with the condition that full credit is given to the authors, their companies, and the National Park Service. Appropriate citations and bibliographic credits should be made for each use.

Printed on recycled paper

Cover Images (Clockwise from left): Martin Luther King Jr., in front of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Headquarters, Atlanta, Georgia, February 1968. (Benedict Fernandez); View of the Prince Hall Masonic building, c. 1963 (orphan image); Dr.

King in his offi ce at the SCLC headquarters in Atlanta, c. 1967-1968. (Benedict Fernandez).

INTRODUCTION

SOUTHERN CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE OFFICES

HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT - PART I

Parking entrance and exit

Irwin Street Irwin Street Irwin Street

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Auburn AvenueAuburn Avenue

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PARKING

BUS PARKING

BUS PARKING

Northbound Exit 248C Carter Center, Freedom Parkway (Ga. 10)

Southbound Exit 248C Carter Center, Freedom Parkway (Ga. 10)

To Carter Center 1.5mi/2.4km

To historic Oakland Cemetery, , ZooAtlanta, and Cyclorama

To King Memorial MARTA Station (approximately 1 mile/1.6 kilometers)

HISTORIC RESIDENTIAL AREA

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David T. Howard School Dr. King’s elementary school

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Branch Library (Atlanta–Fulton County

Public Library System)

Prince Hall Masonic Building

332-334 Auburn Ave.

First national head-quarters (1957) for Southern Christian

Leadership Conference

(SCLC)

PEACE

PLAZA

Ebenezer Baptist Church Horizon Sanctuary

The King Center Historic Fire Station No. 6 King Birth Home

501 Auburn Ave.

Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church

Heritage Sanctuary

Dr. and Mrs.

King’s Tomb

Park Bookstore

Eternal Flame

Freedom Hall

Freedom Park Trail Martin Luther King, Jr.

National Historic Site to Carter Center

1.5 miles/2.4 kilometers

National Park Service Visitor Center

Visitor-use facilities

Other structures

100 500 Feet

100 Meters20 North

Figure 1: Map of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical park (MALU), Atlanta, GA, National Park Service, 2010; Blue arrow points to the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Georgia Building, LAS, 2022.

Figure 2: Exterior of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Georgia Building (left). The fi rst fl oor commercial space (right), with Auburn Avenue-facing arched windows, was once occupied by the SCLC.

HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT - PART I

MANAGEMENT SUMMARY

From 1963 to 2007, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) headquarters were located on a portion of the fi rst fl oor and basement of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Georgia building (“Prince Hall building”) on Auburn Avenue in Atlanta. The SCLC, under the presidency of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., were instrumental organizers of many national, direct-action, non-violent campaigns that helped defi ne the National Civil Rights Movement.

The National Park Service, through the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park, seeks to interpret the former SCLC space during its period of signifi cance beginning in 1963, the year the SCLC moved into the building, to 1968, the year Dr. King was assassinated. As such, the focus of this study is on features and characteristics of the fi rst fl oor and basement within the boundary of SCLC occupancy and use during that time (Figure 2). A Historic Structure Report for the remainder of the building, including the interior of the second and third fl oors and entire exterior, was completed in 2019 by Lord Aeck Sargent for the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Georgia. Relevant parts of that report are reproduced in Appendix E and refernced in this document where background, features, and characteristics do not directly impact the SCLC space.

This report recommends restoring the fi rst fl oor fl oorplan and preserving the extant historic features remaining on the fi rst fl oor and basement. Portions of wood stud partition walls have previously been removed from the SCLC space on the fi rst fl oor, but suffi cient documentary and physical evidence exists to recommend a Restoration approach to its treatment. The basement SCLC space has not been signifi cantly altered beyond the period of signifi cance, and is largely how the SCLC left it when they moved out of the building, thus it is recommended for Preservation.

Location

• Address: 330, 332, and 334 Auburn Avenue and 54, 56 Hilliard Street, Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia

• Coordinates: 33.7556, -84.37678

Architectural Data

• Name: Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Georgia

• Alternate Names: Auburn Avenue Masonic

Building, Prince Hall Masonic Building

• Dates of Construction: 1937, renovation and addition in 1955

• Architect: 1937, Charles Hopson and Ross

Howard (Atlanta); 1955 addition by Edward C. Miller (Atlanta)

• Contractor: 1937, Alexander D. Hamilton, Sr.;

1955, Barge-Thompson Company

• Present Owner: Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Georgia, Free & Accepted Masons

• Historic Use: Institutional, commercial, and offi ce

• Present Use: Institutional, commercial, vacant

• Number of Floors: 4 (including basement)

Cultural Resource Data

• Included within the Martin Luther King, Jr.

National Historical Park in 2017.

• Contributing resource to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic District, as expanded in 2001.

• Contributing resource to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Landmark Historic District (Atlanta, 1989).

HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT - PART I

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference offi ces in the Prince Hall building are of national signifi cance under the National Register of Historic Places Criterion A for association with the Civil Rights Movement as headquarters of the SCLC.

The offi ces are also nationally signifi cant under Criterion B for association with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., co-founder and president of the SCLC and internationally signifi cant civil rights leader.

From the perspective of the Martin Luther King, Jr.

National Historical Park, the SCLC offi ces at the Prince Hall building are signifi cant as Dr. King’s place of work. Under King, the SCLC expanded in size and in reach, becoming a globally important civil rights organization that has made lasting impacts in the universal struggle for equality.

Martin Luther King, Jr. moved back to Atlanta in 1960. From then until his assassination in 1968, he served as President of the SCLC and co-pastor of Ebenezer Baptist church. The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park currently interprets the church along with King’s birth home and his home on Sunset Avenue. The SCLC offi ces represent a signifi cant part of Dr. King’s life and the interpretation of his workplace along with the existing resources, would fi ll out the Park’s interpretive program.

PERIOD OF SIGNIFICANCE

The Period of Signifi cance for this study begins in 1963, the year the SCLC moved into the Prince Hall building, and ends in 1968, the year Dr. King was assassinated. The period encompasses the most signifi cant activities of the SCLC and Dr. King’s work there.

HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT - PART I

ANTICIPATED USE AND TREATMENT

For the purposes of this report, the National Park Service is anticpated to manage the spaces formerly occupied by the SCLC (Figure 2), under a yet-to-be defi ned arrangement. The National Park Service’s use of the SCLC space would include interpretation of some portions to the period of signifi cance and using other spaces for programming, operations, management, and support functions.

The plan and confi guration of the SCLC offi ces on the fi rst fl oor are proposed to be returned to the period of signifi cance, 1963-68, under a Restoration approach. For some spaces, like Dr. King’s offi ce, fi xtures, furnishings, and fi nishes may be recreated and/or provided through accession of authentic objects by the National Park Service. These spaces have been organized into a Restoration Zone. Other spaces are identifi ed as non-interpreted and may be used for National Park Service programming, operations, and management activities. These represent a Rehabilitation Zone and present more fl exibility in the fl oorplan. Two areas have been identifi ed for alteration: the fi rst fl oor restroom and an adjacent offi ce to be replaced by an accessible restroom; and, a supply closet to be replaced by a ramped transition to the main public corridor and elevator. The basement offi ces are to be treated under the Preservation Approach including minimal alteration to historic fabric, in-kind repair, and no planned programming or public use.

The Prince Hall Masons are currently engaged in a project, following the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, to rehabilitate the remainder of the building, including the exterior, and leave the former SCLC spaces largely untouched, except as detailed herein.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this Historic Structure Report (HSR) is to document the history, development, and existing conditions of the SCLC offi ces within the Prince Hall building and to provide recommendations to guide the treatment of the space. The focus is on conditions and characteristics associated with the SCLC offi ces during the period of 1963 – 1968, during which time, Dr. King led the SCLC from the Prince Hall building.

The report does not include assessments of potential artifacts or evaluation of the interior environmental conditions for storage and display of artifacts.

METHODOLOGY

Research at several archives provided background and context on the Prince Hall building and the SCLC and helped determine the appearance and characteristics of the SCLC offi ces during the Period of Signifi cance. Archives include the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archive, and Rare Book Library of Emory University, the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, the Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library Archives Research Center, the Kenan Research Center of the Atlanta History Center, and the John Hope Franklin Research Center at Duke University.1

Most of the SCLC-associated archival documents and scholarly research identifi ed, focus on the SCLC activities outside of the Atlanta SCLC headquarters. Documentation of the organization’s rallies and boycotts, press conferences, national and state conventions, and prominent visitors represent a majority of the holdings during the period of signifi cance. As an example, of the 18 boxes of SCLC photographs held at the Rose Library, the vast majority were undated and appear to have been taken from the early 1970s through the 1990s. Only two were found to be of the offi ces during the period of signfi cance. Nearly all scholarly work focuses on the activities of the organization and individuals associated with the SCLC. There is very little commentary on, or descriptions of, the physical offi ce spaces.

One notable exception is a booklet titled, The SCLC Story in Words and Pictures (SCLC, 1964), which provides written descriptions and photographs of the SCLC staff and activities and includes several images of staff while in the offi ce spaces at the Prince Hall building. Many of these images were

1 The King Center, King Library and Archives, which has a large repository of primary source materials on Dr. MarƟ n Luther King, Jr. and the American Civil Rights Movement, remains closed to the public due to the COVID 19 pandemic (at this Ɵ me) and are thus unavailable. However, several digital resources described herein appear to have copies of many relevant King Center resources.

HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT - PART I

used to reconstruct the 1964 SCLC offi ce fl oorplan.

Relevant pages of this booklet have been reproduced in the appendices of this report.

Several digitized resources have been useful and include Bob Fitch’s photography archive at Standford University2, the photographic work of Benjamin Fernandez at the National Gallery of Art3, and the Bettman/Getty editorial images library.4 Another digital archive that has proven fruitful is the Civil Rights Movement Archive (CRMA), which has digitized many organizational and operational documents related to the SCLC and similar “Southern Freedom Movement” organizations active during the 1950s and 1960s.5 The CRMA includes many resources digitized from the King Center Archives.

Considering the limited amount of physical descriptions and images of the SCLC offi ces from 1963-68, the researchers for this Historic Structure Report further conducted an interview with Ms.

Xernona Clayton, a former SCLC staff member around 1964, who has identifi ed herself as someone instrumental in selecting and installing offi ce fi xtures, fi nishes, and furnishings during the period of signifi cance. This interview has been transcribed, is refernced herein, and is included in the appendices of this report. As well, copies of a video recording of the interview have been submitted to the National Park Service with this report. Additional interviews with Ms. Clayton were provided by the National Park Service, along with an interview with Andrew Young, who began working for the SCLC in 1962.

These interviews focus on the King home on Sunset Avenue, but contain some descriptions and accounts of the SCLC offi ces. An additional unedited and un-transcribed interview of Andrew Young was provided by the Atlanta History Center. This interview was conducted at the Prince Hall building

2 A self-taught photojournalist, Fitch (1939-2016) joined SCLC in 1966 as a volunteer photographer, producing iconic photographs of Dr. King, his family, and the Civil Rights movement. Accessed 7/22/2022 from hƩ ps://exhibits.stanford.

edu/fi tch/default-exhibit/browse/marƟ n-luther-king-jr-1965-1966 3 Fernandez (1936-2021) was a American photo-journalist. He is noted for photographing the protest movements of the 1960s, parƟ cularly those of the civil rights movement and the anƟ -Vietnam War movement. Accessed 7/22/2022 from hƩ ps://www.nga.gov/collecƟ on/art-object-page.197794.html 4 Accessed 7/22/2022 from hƩ ps://www.geƩ yimages.

com/beƩ mann.

5 Accessed 7/22/2022 from hƩ ps://www.crmvet.org/ and includes Mr. Young’s detailed descriptions of the layout of the offi ces. A copy of the video of this interview has been included with the interview of Ms. Clayton.

The existing physical characteristics of the building have also been studied. The descriptions of the building, its systems, and conditions are based on fi eld observations that took place from 2019 through 2022 by Lord Aeck Sargent and their consultant engineers, Uzun & Case and ME-Cubed.

The assessment includes information gained through conversations and meetings with building representatives, including Ed Driver, a Mason and building manager for over three decades, and Ed Bowen, the Mason’s legal representative.

The scope of the investigative work for this report included, but was not limited to visual observation of architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems. The assessment team observed accessible areas throughout the building, exterior, and roof. No invasive inspections or investigations were conducted behind walls, inside plenums or in any other generally inaccessible areas. There were conditions not accessible for visual inspection such as back-up masonry, structural framing and other hidden conditions. No physical tests were made nor were any samples for analysis collected at this time.

Relevant information is also found in the set of 1955 alteration drawings (“Alterations to the Prince Hall Masonic Building”, Edward C. Miller, 1955, included in appendices). No drawings have been located from the original construction (1937) of the Price Hall Masonic Lodge.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

Despite signifi cant changes to the layout of the fi rst fl oor in the early 2000s, suffi cient documentary and physical evidence exists to support the restoration of wall and door locations. Many interior fi nishes can be inferred as well through extant contributing features and documentary photography.

All new electrical, mechanical, plumbing, fi re, and life safety systems are required, but can be sensitively designed and installed to minimize impact to character-defi ning features and intrusion

HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT - PART I

into interpreted historic spaces. Accessible restrooms and access to the main public corridor and elevator can be achieved with low impact to historic fabric.

The fi rst fl oor space can be organized into an interpretation zone with a clear public circulation route and a ‘back-of-house’ zone for support functions. The basement may not be optimal for reuse, but is anticipated to be preserved with minimal changes for safety and unprogrammed use of the space.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR

FURTHER STUDY

Additional material analysis, including of painted and applied fi nishes will help to inform the appropriate treatment within the range of recommended fi nish applications.

Copies of material generated by this HSR, including this document, should be appropriately cataloged and stored at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park and cross-referenced in the National Park Service ETIC.

PART 1A

DEVELOPMENTAL HISTORY

HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT - PART I

the Lucile Avenue School which is now the KIPP Strive Academy.7 Ross H. Howard (1903-1958), a Georgia Tech alumnus, class of 1926, was an Atlanta architect who began practice as an associate with his father’s fi rm in Marietta, Georgia.8

Due to a signifi cant decline in membership dues during the Great Depression, the building was not completed until 1940.

City directories beginning in 1940 list the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company on the fi rst fl oor with a separate address from the remainder of the building; 332-34 Auburn versus 330 Auburn.

Listed on the second fl oor were the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Georgia (F&AM), the Masonic Relief Association, and fourteen other Masonic lodges, including those belonging to the Scottish Rite, York Masons, Shriners, and the Order of the Eastern Star, a Masonic womens’ organization. A franchisee of the Madame C.J.

Walker Beauty Salon was listed on the second fl oor as well.9 The third fl oor held a meeting room, a library and reading room, and a game room.10

Tenant Profi le: North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company

The company was founded in 1898 in Durham, North Carolina and provided life insurance for African Americans. John Merrick, founder and president of the company, was a former slave who built his wealth in segregated America through entrepreneurial enterprise.

North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company was one of the fi rst tenants of the building in 1940 and very likely had a role in fi nancing the project.

In 1960, North Carolina Mutual relocated their Atlanta offi ce to nearby Butler Street.

7 Robert G. Hill, FRAIC, Biographical DicƟ onary of Architects in Canada. Accessed from hƩ p://www.

dicƟ onaryofarchitectsincanada.org/node/274 July 5, 2022.

8 Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine Vol. 37, No. 03 1958, New of the Alumni, p.16 9 Atlanta City Directories, 1938 through 2010, accessed from the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library and the Auburn Avenue Research Library.

10 Atlanta Daily World, “Atlanta Masons In Cornerstone Ritual”, Sep 23, 1937, p.1; “Masons to Have New Site”, Apr 30, 1937, p.1

BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) moved into the fi rst fl oor and basement of the Prince Hall building in 1963. The building was originally completed in 1940 as the Atlanta-based headquarters of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Georgia, F&AM. The Prince Hall masons are an African American brotherhood and used the building along with a number other African American fraternal groups and their female counterparts, the Daughters of the Eastern Star.

The building includes a mix of ceremonial spaces, professional offi ces, and commercial spaces. In the Prince Hall Building, the SCLC occupied the basement and a large commercial space facing Auburn Avenue until 2007.

Prince Hall Masons

The Prince Hall Masons are an African American branch of Freemasonry that was founded in 1775.

The grand lodge of Georgia, the governing lodge of Prince Hall lodges in the state, was founded in Savannah in 1870. In 1901, the lodge relocated to Atlanta. For more history of the Prince Hall Masons, refer to Part 1 of the 2019 Prince Hall Masonic Building Historic Structure Report reproduced in part in Appendix E.

The Prince Hall Masonic Building

The cornerstone for the Prince Hall Masonic Building was laid September 26, 1937. Architects Charles H. Hopson and Ross H. Howard were credited for the design with Alexander D. Hamilton Sr. as contractor. The “modern in every detail” building featured hardwood fl oors, fi reproof stair halls, and “all the latest improvements, including steam heat”.6

Charles Hopson (1865-1941) was an English-born architect who emigrated to Nova Scotia, Canada before eventually moving to Atlanta in 1915.

In Atlanta, Hopson designed several buildings, including Ponce deLeon Methodist Church and

6 Atlanta ConsƟ tuƟ on, “$35,000 to $40,000 for Lodge Temple”, September 26, 1937, p.11

HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT - PART I

Addition to the Prince Hall Masonic Building

The Prince Hall Masonic Building quickly became a central meeting place for Atlanta’s African American community. Along with the Butler Street YMCA, the Prince Hall building was a non-denominational location for black Atlantans from diff erent church and neighborhood communities to meet. Throughout the 1940s, the Atlanta Daily World, a local, African-American-owner newspaper, posted notices for meetings of the Atlanta Civic and Political League and the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters both of which regularly met at the Prince Hall Building.11

In 1947, the Masons, along with their Eastern Star sisters, had raised $12,000 at a rally at Wheat Street Baptist Church, enough to pay off the remaining mortgage on the building. By 1955, the Masons

11 “Civic-PoliƟ cal League Reelects all Offi cers.” 1944.

Atlanta Daily World (1932-2003), Jan 05, 1.; “Porters to Hold MeeƟ ng.” 1944.Atlanta Daily World (1932-2003), Mar 05, 2.

had retained Edward C. Miller, an Atlanta-based architect, to design an addition. Construction started that year with Barge-Thompson Company as the general contractors. The new addition, reported to cost $200,000 was appended onto the north side of the 1937 building.12 A set of architectural drawings by Miller’s fi rm were located, scanned and have been reproduced in Appendix D.

A full-page spread from the Daily World announced the completion of the renovation and new addition and invited the public to an open house. Along with a message from Dobbs and the open house invitation, are messages of congratulations from tenants and companies involved in the renovation.

These include J.L. Wolfe Realty, Alexander and Company General Insurance, Mathis Barber Shop, Edward C. Miller Architect, Barge-Thompson Company General Contractors, Robinson Printing Company, Madame C. J. Walker Beauty Shoppe, WERD Radio Station, and the Horne Plumbing and

12 “Over 2,000 Visit New Masonic Building here.” 1956.

Atlanta Daily World (1932-2003), Feb 14, 4.

Figure 3: The Prince Hall building in 1955, just prior to construction of the new addition. LBGPNS1-092a, Lane Brothers Commercial Photographers Photographic Collection, 1920-1976. Photographic Collection, Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library.

HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT - PART I

Heating Company.13

The new addition was dedicated in September of 1955, but did not open to visitors until early 1956.14

Tenants in the new addition’s two Hilliard Street-facing storefronts were the Madame C J Walker Beauty Shop, which had relocated from the second fl oor, and Mathis Barber Shop.15 Dr. Robert Jordan, a dentist, located his offi ces in the former beauty shop offi ces on the second fl oor of the 1937 building.

WERD Radio moved in to offi ces on the second fl oor of the 1955 addition from another building on Auburn Avenue. North Carolina Mutual continued in their ground fl oor space on Auburn Avenue until 1960. In 1963, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference moved into the building.

Tenant Profi le: WERD Radio

WERD Atlanta moved into new offi ces in the Prince Hall building in 1956. Broadcasting at 860 AM, WERD was the fi rst radio station in the United States owned and operated by African-Americans.

Jesse B. Blayton Sr., an accountant, bank president, and Atlanta University professor, purchased WERD from its white owners in 1949 for $50,000.

He hired his son Jesse Jr. as station manager, A.

Kennith Knight as program director, and “Jockey” Jack Gibson as radio host. By 1951 Gibson was the most popular DJ in Atlanta.16 Other on-air staff at the time of the station’s founding were Raphael McIver, Johnny Martin, Dave Bondu, Joe Starr, Bob Brisendine, B.T. Harvey, Mrs. Billie Getter Thomas, and Graham W. Jackson, noted musician17.

WERD was originally located in a building at 174 1/2 Auburn Avenue (no longer extant). More than

13 “Display Ad 14 -- no Title.” 1956.Atlanta Daily World (1932-2003), Feb 12, 5.

14 “Over 2,000 Visit New Masonic Building here.” 1956.

Atlanta Daily World (1932-2003), Feb 14, 4.

15 Atlanta City Directories. A barber shop conƟ nues to operate out of the Hilliard Street storefront and has connecƟ ons to the Mathis ownership. The former beauty shop has changed ownership several Ɵ mes and currently hosts a space that tangenƟ ally interprets the former Walker Beauty Shop.

16 Barlow, William. Voice Over: The Making of Black Radio. Temple University Press, 1999.

17 Jackson became a naƟ onal icon when Ed Clark, a Life magazine photographer, captured a photo of a tearful Jackson, accordion in hand, playing “Goin’ Home” as President Roosevelt’s funeral train leŌ Warm Springs, Georgia.

a commercial radio station, the Blaytons were committed to providing programming to “stimulate wholesome racial relations, as well as to stimulate social and intellectual advancement of the Negro race”. As well, WERD provided training in radio technician work18.

By at least 1963, a WERD Radio sign featured prominently on the exterior of the building.

Tenant Profi le: Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Following the successes of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Bayard Rustin, Ella Baker, Martin Luther King Jr, C.K. Steele, Fred Shuttlesworth, Joseph Lowery, and Ralph Abernathy invited a group of black ministers and leaders from the southeast to Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta for the Southern Leadership Conference on Transportation and Non- Violent Integration, held on January 10, 11, and 12 of 1957. Their goal was to form an organization to coordinate and support nonviolent direct action as a method of desegregating bus systems across the South.19

On February 15, 1957 a follow-up meeting was held in New Orleans. Out of this meeting came a new organization. Initially called the “Negro Leaders Conference on Nonviolent Integration,” then “Southern Negro Leaders Conference,” the group eventually chose “Southern Christian Leadership Conference” (SCLC) as its name, and expanded its focus beyond buses to ending all forms of segregation. The fi rst SCLC annual convention was held in Montgomery, Alabama in August, 1957.

Unlike some of the other existing civil rights organizations (e.g. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and Congress of Recial Equity or (CORE)) where local chapters are formed, SCLC was an umbrella organization with affi liates composed of regional civic-political organizations, like the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) and Alabama

18 “New Radio StaƟ on to Open Tomorrow.” 1949 Atlanta Daily World (1932-2003), Oct 02, 1.

19 Fairclough, Adam. To Redeem the Soul of America: The Southern Chris an Leadership Conference and Mar n Luther King, Jr., UGA Press, 1987. p.29.

HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT - PART I

Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACHMR), or Movement Churches.20 The SCLC’s fi rst large-scale campaign was dubbed the “Crusade for Citizenship”, and sought to double the number of African American registered voters.21

In 1958 Ella Baker, as SCLC Associate Director, set up an offi ce on the second fl oor of 208 Auburn Avenue (the “Alexander Building”) in Atlanta.

At the time, the organization had only three staff members; Baker, Rev. John L. Tilley, Executive Director, who worked part time and never relocated to Atlanta, and Ernestine Brown, Secretary.22 King, who was elected President of the organization in 1957, continued on as Pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery until 1960 when he moved permanently to Atlanta to lead the SCLC.23

Ella Baker temporarily assumed the role of Executive Director after Rev. Tilley resigned in 1959 to return full time to his pastorship.

The Crusade for Citizenship struggled at fi rst.

African Americans who tried to register to vote often did so without the support of local civil rights organizations and faced violent reprisal, despite the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1957 which outlawed any form of voter intimidation. Baker posited that, to overcome these barriers, the SCLC needed programs to identify, train, and transport organizers and registrants.24

Baker was replaced by Wyatt Tee Walker in August of 1960.25 At that time, the SCLC had seven full-time staff : Walker as Executive Director; Ernestine Brown, Secretary; James R. Wood, Director, Public Relations; Dorothy Cotton, Administrative Secretary to the President; Harry Blake, Field

20 Movement Churches are churches, typically in the south that acƟ vely supported the civil rights movement, both by hosƟ ng meeƟ ngs and through the parƟ cipaƟ on of clergy and congregaƟ ons.

21 In the Deep South, Black registraƟ on ranged from 18% in Louisiana to 2% in Mississippi. “Civil Rights Movement History & Timeline”. www.crmvet.org. Accessed 7/26/2022.

22 UnƟ tled brochure. Southern ChrisƟ an Leadership Conference, c. 1960. Civil Rights Movement Archive.

23 “Dr. King Resigns to Take Post in Atlanta.” 1959.Atlanta Daily World (1932-2003), Dec 01, 1.

24 “Civil Rights Movement History & Timeline”. www.

crmvet.org. Accessed 7/26/2022.

25 Baker went on to co-found the SNCC. Much more can be said about Ella Baker and her relaƟ onship with the SCLC.

See Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement: A Radical Democra c Vision by Barbara Ransby (North Carolina Press, 2003).

Secretary; Ralph D. Abernathy, Fund-raiser [also the Board Treasurer]; and Lillie M. Hunter, Bookkeeper.26

Dr. King moved to Atlanta in March of 1960 to devote his attention to the SCLC full-time. SCLC activities continued to expand and consequentially, so too did staff size. From 1959-60, total salaries were roughly $18,500. By 1961, total salaries were nearly $34,000, almost doubling.27

The SCLC operated through an affi liate program, whereby SCLC staff would work with local groups around the south to help organize and train non-violent direct action campaigns against segregation. An early affi liate of the SCLC, The Nashville Christian Leadership Conference (NCLC), conducted sit-ins to desegregate downtown Nashville businesses in 1960. The eff ort was eventually successful in its primary goal, but perhaps more importantly, it demonstrated SCLC’s skill at training, organizing, and supporting local affi liates in their direct action campaigns. SCLC-organized sit-ins began to crop up across the south, including in Atlanta.28

Following the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1960, which included language making the perpetuation of segregationist practices across states lines a federal off ence, the SCLC helped organize the Freedom Rides which began to test the new law by sending activits across states lines on unsegregated buses.

The Sit-ins and Freedom Rides, and the violent reaction to them, brought national attention to the SCLC (and other organizations like the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee or SNCC), which became known for direct action and community-organizing. 29

The SCLC faced some setbacks that slowed the organization’s momentum. An SCLC and SNCC led movement in Albany Georgia resulted in the jailing

26 UnƟ tled brochure. Southern ChrisƟ an Leadership Conference, c. 1960. Civil Rights Movement Archive.

27 “Statement of Receipts and Expenditures For the Fiscal Year Ended October 31, 1960”, and “Treasurer’s Report, Fiscal Year: September 1, 1960- August 31, 1961”, SCLC. Civil Rights Movement Archive.

28 “Civil Rights Movement History & Timeline”. www.

crmvet.org. Accessed 7/26/2022.

29 ibid.

HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT - PART I

of more than 1,000 African Americans, but without any of the protest’s goals met. Andrew Young recalled that in 1961, “The Freedom Rides were just winding up, and the fi rst massive community action on the part of local citizens was grinding to what seemed then like a tragic halt in Albany, Georgia.

Time Magazine was ranting and raving about a split between SCLC and SNCC and proclaiming the end of Dr. King’s infl uence.” 30

The protests in Albany eventually did succeed in their goals, and in 1961 the SCLC also expanded their voter-registration eff orts through the Citizenship School program, led by Septima Clark who joined the SCLC staff that year after originally starting the program at the Highlander Center in Tennessee.

In 1962 the SCLC began the highly successful Operation Breadbasket, which organized boycotts of businesses with discriminatory employment

30 Young, Andrew. “Memorandum to Board, Refl ecƟ ons on Years Past and Years to Come”, 1966. Accessed 7/26/2022 from www.crmvet.org.

practices.31 In 1963, the SCLC’s largest campaign took shape. Called Project C (for Confrontation), the SCLC helped organize mass protests in Birmingham which had suff ered years of violent reprisals for attempts at desegregation.

SCLC at the Prince Hall Masonic Building

Space on the second fl oor of the Alexander Building was limited and so, in 1963, the SCLC moved their headquarters to the fi rst fl oor commercial space of the Prince Hall Masonic Building, at 332-34 Auburn Avenue - which had been vacated in 1960 by the Atlanta branch of North Carolina Mutual Insurance Company.

For 1963, after the relocation, the SCLC budgeted $95,000 for salaries, another signifi cant increase from the year earlier - and by mid-1964, they

31 ibid

Figure 4: View of the Prince Hall Masonic building, c. 1963. Orphan image (uncredited, undated, widely reproduced), provided to the author by Sweet Auburn Works.

HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT - PART I

had paid out over $152,000 in salaries.32 King acknowledged the challenges of this exponential growth in his 1964 annual report to the SCLC board; “Gradually we are attempting to deal with the problems of growth from an organization of 3 to one of 62 in a few years time.”33 As an outreach-based organization, much of the staff spent little to no time in the Atlanta offi ces, however, about 25 full time staff were based out of Atlanta by 1964.34

In 1964, the Civil Rights Act became law. The act largely fulfi lled the SCLC’s vision of the complete eradication of public discrimination. Wyatt Tee Walker resigned in 1964 and was replaced by Andrew Young as Executive Director.

By 1965, the SCLC had built a “complete printing plant with equipment valued in excess of $20,000...

Since the last convention more than 1,250,000 pieces...have been printed...”35 Originally, printing activities were on the fi rst fl oor36, but were moved to the basement early on, likely due in part because of the noise and dust of operating the machinery and the evident growth of both the SCLC printing operations and offi ce staff .

In a 1966 memo to the SCLC Board, Young remarked:

A lot has happened since [1961]. The Movement soon bounded back with Birmingham and Selma.

Many voters were registered, many people trained through our citizenship schools; thousands of new jobs obtained through “Breadbasket” , and the staff has grown to more than 150 full time persons.

With the success of voting rights and the slow but steady dismantling of segregation, the SCLC began to focus on economic injustice, including supporting labor strikes and starting the Poor

32 “Budget for 1963” and “Salaries for Fiscal Year 1963- 64”, SCLC. Civil Rights Movement Archive.

33 “Annual Report of MarƟ n Luther King, Jr. President Southern ChrisƟ an Leadership Conference, Eight Annual ConvenƟ on, Savannah, Georgia - September 28-October 2, 1964” SCLC. Civil Rights Movement Archive.

34 “SCLC in Pictures and Words” SCLC, 1964. Emory MARBL Archives.

35 “Annual Report; Dr. MarƟ n Luther King Jr.” SCLC. 1965.

Civil Rights Movement Archive.

36 Young, Andrew. “Andrew Young Part II”, NaƟ onal Park Service, 2022,.35:00.

Peoples Campaign, though voter education and registration remained a signifi cant part of their activities. Hosea Williams, hired by SCLC after the successful Savannah Movement and lead organizer for the “Bloody Sunday” march over the Edmund Pettus Bridge, also led the 1965 Summer Community Organization & Political Education (SCOPE) project focused on voter registration. That summer, 300-400 volunteers, led by the SCLC, met at Morris Brown College in Atlanta before heading into the deep south to register black voters. After the passage of the Voting Rights Act in August of 1965, SCOPE was able to register 50,000 voters.37

Young continued as Executive Director until 1967 when he was appointed Executive Vice-President of the SCLC and William A.