Mason Temple 🇺🇸

When you visit Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee, you step into a profound site of faith and American history. Serving as the central headquarters and international sanctuary for the Church of God in Christ—the largest African American Pentecostal group globally—this impressive venue was founded by Bishop Charles Harrison Mason. As you explore the three-story structure built from brick, stone, steel, and concrete, you can reflect on its past as the largest church building owned by a predominantly Black Christian denomination in the United States upon opening.

Inside, you will find a marble crypt where Bishop Mason is entombed. Beyond its religious significance, Mason Temple played a pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s and 1960s, hosting key leaders like Andrew Young, Ralph Abernathy, and Martin Luther King Jr., as well as rallies for 1,300 striking sanitation workers fighting for fair treatment. It is most famous as the location where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his prophetic last speech, "I've Been to the Mountaintop," on April 3, 1968, just the night before his tragic assassination.

You can see a commemorative plaque on an exterior wall near the entrance that details this monumental historical event.

What to see at Mason Temple

• Site of Martin Luther King Jr.'s final speech, "I've Been to the Mountaintop"
• Marble crypt containing the tomb of founder Bishop Charles Harrison Mason
• Historic central headquarters of the Church of God in Christ
• Exterior commemorative plaque near the entrance detailing civil rights history
• Massive three-story architecture constructed from brick, stone, steel, and concrete

Visiting tips

Be sure to look for the commemorative plaque located on an exterior wall near the church entrance that details Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic speech.

How long: 1-2 hours · Best time: Daytime

How to get there & what’s nearby

Mason Temple is easy to reach on Memphis’s public transport, and pairs naturally with Orpheum Theatre and Metal Museum. For where to stay, the weather and full itineraries, see our Memphis travel guide.