The Martin Luther King National Historical Park was originally established by the United States congress as the "Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site and Martin Luther King, Jr. Preservation District in Atlanta, Georgia" on October 10th, 1980.
The site was established to protect and interpret for the benefit, inspiration, and education of present and future generations, the places where Martin Luther King, Jr. was born, where he lived, worked, worshipped, and is buried.
Legislation passed in 2018 included a change in designation from "National Historic Site" to "National Historical Park".
The park consists of 39.17 acres, 14.07 of which are federally owned. The Park manages 38 historic structures, most of which were built between 1890 and 1910. Portions of the park are included in the national historic landmark district.
The park receives aproximately 700,000 to over 1 million national and international visitors annually who a seek to learn about the life experiences and the significance of one of the most influential men of the 20th century.
