February 2, 2026
These historic addresses are of great importance as they document the personal and political development of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. grew up in Atlanta before becoming a religious figure and the most iconic leader of the modern Civil Rights Movement. These historic addresses are of great importance as they document the personal and political development of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from his upbringing in Atlanta’s Sweet Auburn neighborhood before moving to Montgomery, which led to the historic bus boycotts, and then to Chicago’s West Side, where he faced Northern segregation.
The various homes that King resided in mark his journey in activism, organizing and rallying Black communities. The reverend and father of civil rights rested his head in the communities he worked in. He lived with his family among the people he advocated for. These addresses were homes and headquarters.Â
501 Auburn Ave.
Martin Luther King Jr. lived in this two-story Queen Anne–style home in Atlanta, Georgia, from his birth on Jan. 15, 1929, until age 12. It served as the cradle of his formative years, shaping his understanding of racial inequity and early religious inspiration. His upbringing took place in the modest yet beloved home, which provided him with faith and community ties, and connected him to the Black cultural heritage of Atlanta’s Sweet Auburn neighborhood.
193 BoulevardÂ
The King family established their second Atlanta residence at 193 Blvd., which represented their social advancement in Atlanta’s Black middle class. Martin Luther King Jr. and his family relocated to this brick house during summer 1941 after they outgrew their previous home on Auburn Avenue. The new home stood three blocks away from their original birthplace but provided bigger living areas for King’s teenage years.
Dexter Avenue Parsonage
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King lived with their daughter in the Dexter Avenue Parsonage at 309 South Jackson St., Montgomery, Alabama, from 1954 to 1960. During his time as a pastor and during the early days of the Civil Rights Movement, the parsonage served as the main location for important civil rights planning which led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The house experienced the oppressive conditions of segregation, while a bomb attack in 1956 tried to scare the King family from their home. The Dexter Parsonage Museum now maintains the historic site where Dr. King formed his nonviolent resistance philosophy.
1550 South Hamlin Ave.Â
During his January 1966 campaign in Chicago, Illinois, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his family stayed in a third-floor walk-up apartment at 1550 South Hamlin Ave. The apartment beared the inadequate housing that Black residents endured in northern cities while King fought for open housing and equal access to quality neighborhoods. The building got destroyed during the post-assassination riots but the Dr. King Legacy Apartments now stand on the site to honor his work in Chicago.
234 Sunset Ave.
During the Civil Rights Movement, MLK and Coretta Scott King lived with their children at 234 Sunset Ave. in the Vine City neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia. The family lived at this location between 1964 and 1968 when King was assassinated. The property became historically important because it functioned as both a family home and a place where civil rights activities and strategic planning took place under King’s leadership of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Coretta Scott King founded the King Center at the location after his death. The National Park Service acquired the property and currently works to restore it for public interpretation.
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