National Civil Rights Museum

National Civil Rights Museum
National Civil Rights Museum in 2022
National Civil Rights Museum is located in Tennessee
National Civil Rights Museum
National Civil Rights Museum is located in the United States
National Civil Rights Museum
Map
Interactive map showing the location of the National Civil Rights Museum
LocationMemphis, Tennessee
Coordinates35°08′04″N 90°03′27″W / 35.1345°N 90.0576°W / 35.1345; -90.0576
Built1924
Part ofSouth Main Street Historic District (ID82004054)
Added to NRHP1982

The National Civil Rights Museum is a complex of museums and historic buildings in Memphis, Tennessee; its exhibits trace the history of the civil rights movement in the United States from the 17th century to the present. The museum is built around the former Lorraine Motel, which was the site of the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Two other buildings and their adjacent property, also connected with the King assassination, have been acquired as part of the museum complex.

After renovations, the museum reopened in 2014 with an increase in the amount of multimedia and interactive displays, as well as various short films to show highlights. The museum is owned and operated by the Lorraine Civil Rights Museum Foundation, based in Memphis. The Lorraine Motel is owned by the Tennessee State Museum and leased long term to the Foundation to operate as part of the museum complex. In 2016, the museum was honored by becoming a Smithsonian Affiliate museum. It is also a contributing property to the South Main Street Historic District of the National Register of Historic Places.