Executive director says hope remains one year since Clayborn Temple arson

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - One year after flames tore through Clayborn Temple in Downtown Memphis, only a few walls remain standing.

Anasa Troutman is the executive director of The Big We, a local nonprofit that owns the historic church and has been fundraising for nearly a decade to restore it.

She said Tuesday marked the first time she had fully confronted what happened on April 28, 2025.

“I am feeling a lot of ways today. Today is the anniversary of the arson of Clayborn Temple,” Troutman said. “And those images of the fire still take me out. It’s just really hard to watch, especially because a year ago, I wasn’t watching the news. I was so devastated. I didn’t see a lot of the news coverage last year, so I’m seeing a lot of these images for the first time.”

The Memphis Fire Department ruled the fire an arson and released a photo of the person they believe is responsible.

There is still a $11,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person of interest.

Troutman said she is reminded of the fire every day.

“I’m still holding a lot of grief, so I’m holding a lot of sadness. You know, we work right next door to the building, so I see the building every day in the state that it’s in,” she said.

Clayborn’s programs to help entrepreneurs, the community, and the arts have continued. The challenge now is rebuilding the temple.

“After the fire, that complexity just went up a notch, or two, or three, or ten. Right? Because now we’re thinking about, like, a full replication restoration,” Troutman said.

The temple had been under restoration since 2019, but after the fire, that process had to start over.

“Like, not even starting at zero, but kind of starting at negative two. Because we even have to get to the point where we can actually understand what’s possible with the building,” she said.

The Big We has fundraised $5 million and received nearly $3 million in federal dollars to support the rebuilding process.

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