Downtown Memphis in Shelby County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
The Lorraine Motel
Photographed by Billy Clemmons, July 6, 2023
1. The Lorraine Hotel Marker
Originally the Windsor Hotel (c. 1925) and later one of only a few hotels for blacks, it hosted such entertainers as Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin, Count Basie, B.B. King, and Nat King Cole. Walter and Loree Bailey bought it in 1942, renaming it the Lorraine. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated outside Room 306 on April 4, 1968, making it a symbol for the civil rights movement. In 1982, a local nonprofit group saved the site from foreclosure for use as Americas first civil rights museum.
Erected by Tennessee Historical Commission. (Marker Number 4E 95.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Landmarks • Notable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Tennessee Historical Commission series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1869.
Location. 35° 8.07′ N, 90° 3.468′ W. Marker is in Memphis, Tennessee, in Shelby County. It is in Downtown Memphis. It is at the intersection of Mulberry Street and Hulling Avenue, on the left when traveling south on Mulberry Street. Touch for map.
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Regionally, this marker is in West Tennessee. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, in the Upper South, in the Mississippi Delta, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Martin Luther King, Jr. (here, next to this marker); Lorraine Motel Vintage Cars (a few steps from this marker); Here, on April 4, 1968 / Today, a Place of Remembrance (a few steps from this marker); Founders Park Banners (within shouting distance of this marker); Founders Park (within shouting distance of this marker); Welcome To The National Civil Rights Museum (within shouting distance of this marker); The Blues Foundation (about 300 feet away, measured in
Photographed by Dee Evans, July 1, 2000
2. An additional nearby remembrance tablet
Martin Luther King, Jr., Jan. 5, 1929 Apr. 4, 1968, founding President, Southern Christian Leadership Conference. They said one to another, Behold, here cometh the dreamer ... Let us slay him ... Genesis 37 19-20. Ralph David Abernathy, President.
More about this marker. The Lorraine Motel is now the National Civil Rights Museum.
Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, October 16, 2023
3. The Lorraine Motel Marker
The marker is at the far left in this view near the entrance to the current museum.
Photographed by Dee Evans, July 2000
4. Lorraine Motel Sign
Photographed by Dee Evans, July 1, 2000
5. Room 306 (On Upper Level) at the Lorraine Motel
Children are reading the tablet shown in photo 2.
Photographed by Mary Ellen Coghlan, December 29, 2002
6. The Lorraine Motel Marker
Photographed by Dee Evans, July 1, 2000
7. The Lorraine Motel Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on August 16, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 30, 2007, by Dee Evans of Chicago, Illinois. This page has been viewed 6,620 times since then and 296 times this year. Last updated on May 3, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos: 1. submitted on July 9, 2023, by Billy Clemmons of Florence, Alabama. 2. submitted on October 30, 2007, by Dee Evans of Chicago, Illinois. 3. submitted on October 23, 2023, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. 4, 5. submitted on October 30, 2007, by Dee Evans of Chicago, Illinois. 6. submitted on July 25, 2008, by Mary Ellen Coghlan of Manahawkin, New Jersey. 7. submitted on October 30, 2007, by Dee Evans of Chicago, Illinois. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
