Civil Rights Museum Opens the Balcony of the Lorraine Hotel Where Martin Luther King Was Shot

The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis has plans to open up to the public the balcony where Martin Luther King Jr. was shot.

The museum includes many historic points of interest from the civil rights movement. It was built around the old Lorraine Motel where he was staying when he was assassinated in 1968.

"Dedicated on September 28, 1991, the Museum exists to assist the public in understanding the lessons of the Civil Rights Movement and its impact and influence on human rights movements worldwide, through its collections, exhibitions, research and educational programs. It chronicles the civil rights movement from 1619 to 2000 with historical exhibits, including Room 306, the hotel room where Dr. King stayed in April of 1968," states the museum's website.

The museum for the first time are allowing visitors to stand on the balcony, which they used to only be able to view.

The Huffington Post reported that the main building of the museum will close on Monday at the end of the day for renovations and officials hope the balcony will be open to the public on Nov. 19.

The Lorraine Hotel has a lot of historical significance, it was one of the only hotels at the time where African Americans could stay overnight while traveling during segregation leading up to the 1960s in America, the museum's website states.

The National Civil Rights museum was "birthed out of the success of the civil rights movement and the tragic violence that occurred at the Lorraine Motel, taking the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr," states the museum's website.

After the assisination of Martin Luther King, the motel went into decline and the owner, Walter Lane Bailey created two rooms, room 306 and 307 in memory of Dr. King and his wife, Loree who died only days after his assassination, said the museum's website.