( KTRS ) Observers from St. Louis to Chicago marked Martin Luther King Jr. Day with commemorations and demonstrations.

A celebration in downtown St. Louis drew hundreds of participants, who braved temperatures hovering near the single digits on a 2.5-mile march.

Speakers and marchers linked King’s legacy to contemporary efforts at job creation and police reform. In Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced the Stone Temple church – that hosted sermons by King – would be considered for designation as an official landmark.

Emanuel’s office says a commission will take up a preliminary recommendation Feb. 4.