Exhibit gives look inside building where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. shaped the civil rights movement

The National Park Service is giving visitors the chance to experience the rich history that unfolded behind the walls of the Prince Hall Building on Atlanta's Auburn Avenue.

Through Sunday, the public can visit a temporary exhibit inside the former home of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference through a self-guided tour.

"Located along historic Auburn Avenue, the Prince Hall Building has played an important role in the civic, social, and fraternal history of Atlanta's Black community," the federal agency's description reads, offering visitors the chance to explore what was a significant part of Martin Luther King Jr.'s working life.

King led the SCLC as its founder and president from 1957 up to his assassination in 1968.

Reginald Chapple, the National Park Service's superintendent of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park and Preservation District, said the public being able to tour the ground floor of the former SCLC headquarters allows them to immerse themselves in a space that proved critical to the civil rights movement.

"At one point in time, this street was one of the richest Negro streets in America, meaning it formed the spine of Auburn Avenue or the Atlanta Black community," Chapple said. "Opening this building back up allows us to tell that full story of the history of Auburn Avenue. This is really just a snapshot to give you a sense of what happened. These were the offices Dr. King occupied to actually run the civil rights organization that was created to preserve in perpetuity the civil rights movement."

Chapple also noted that the building also is host to the WERD radio station, the first Black-owned station to receive a license.

"Dr. King used that radio station along with the SCLC press to get the messages out around the civil rights movement," he said.

Tours are free and run from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Chapple said as plans currently stand, a permanent exhibit is set to open around the MLK Day holiday in 2027.

More information can also be found here.