CAMDEN, NJ – A house used by Dr. Martin Luther King in New Jersey while he attended college was severely damaged in a fire last month.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy expressed sadness over the loss of a historic treasure, but a report today by NJ.com stops short of blaming the governor’s administration for blocking the home from being classified as a historic landmark.
“Saddened to hear the MLK House in Camden, where MLK Jr. stayed as a student, was badly damaged in a fire yesterday,” Murphy said today. “This is a huge loss for New Jersey and our nation. We will support the Camden community’s efforts to save this important part of our history.”
“For the past eight years, those preservation authorities refused to place the house in Camden on the state’s Historic Registry. Registry placement makes the house eligible for funding needed to preserve and transform it into a museum,” NJ.com reported.
You can read the full story here.