Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was held at the old jail in 1964. It was the only time King was arrested in Florida.

The historic St. Johns County jail that once held MLK Jr. faces possible demolition, stirring community efforts to preserve it.

The building played a prominent role in the civil rights movement. Hundreds of demonstrators, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and more than a dozen rabbis were held there between 1963 and 1964.

In a statement, St. Johns County Administrator Joy Andrews cited the history of the 1952 facility for the careful nature of the decision-making process. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. famously was housed there after his arrest in St.