King National Historical Park closing buildings amid coronavirus shutdowns
The thousands of visitors who usually stream through the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park in Atlanta will still have the run of the grounds.
But don’t think about going inside any of the historical buildings that helped shape the civil rights leader.
On Wednesday, the park announced that all of the buildings within the park will remain closed until further notice as Americans are told to avoid crowds amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The shuttered buildings includes the Visitor Center, Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, Fire Station #6, the Birth Home, and the Eastern National Bookstore.
“The outdoor spaces in the park will remain open and visitors are free to walk around the park, take pictures of the outside of the buildings and read informational signs that are throughout the park,” the National Park Service said in a statement.
The decision coincides with an announcement from Bernice King, CEO of the King Center, that the bookstore and Freedom Hall will close and all King Center events through April 15 are postponed.
All of the King Center’s staff will work remotely until at least April 2, two days before the anniversary of King’s death.
About the Author
Ernie Suggs is an enterprise reporter covering race and culture for the AJC since 1997. A 1990 graduate of N.C. Central University and a 2009 Harvard University Nieman Fellow, he is also the former vice president of the National Association of Black Journalists. His obsession with Prince, Spike Lee movies, Hamilton and the New York Yankees is odd.
