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National Park Service awards $8.6 million in preservation grants to HBCUs, including 5 in Virginia

Posted at 2:17 PM, Sep 22, 2018
and last updated 2018-09-22 14:17:28-04

The National Park Service awarded $8.6 million in grant funding to support projects that preserve significant historic structures on the campuses of 18 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

“HBCUs have played an important role in our country’s pursuit of equality, civil rights and higher education for all Americans,” said National Park Service Deputy Director P. Daniel Smith. “These grants will help restore and enhance landmark buildings that are a source of pride on campuses in nine states.”

Historically Black Colleges and Universities Grants support the preservation of sites on HBCU campuses that are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Eligible projects include pre-preservation studies, architectural plans and specifications, historic structure reports and the repair and rehabilitation of historic properties, according to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.

Examples of projects funded by the grants include:

  • The stabilization of Wilkinson Hall at South Carolina State University. The grant will fund repairs to the structure which dates to 1938 and is part of the South Carolina State College National Register Historic District. Project tasks will include repairing stone and brick work, windows and gutters, as well as waterproofing the building to stop water infiltration.
  • Accessibility improvements in the Founders Library at Howard University in Washington, DC. Constructed in 1939 and a key feature of the Howard National Historic Landmark District, the building serves as the main library for students on campus. It also houses one of the world’s largest catalogs of the African American experience. The project will improve accessibility to the building, including construction of a new entryway, in a manner that is sensitive to its architecture and historic fabric.
  • The rehabilitation of the Vashon Community Center at Harris-Stowe State University in Missouri. Built in 1936 and listed individually in the National Register of Historic Places, the building housed one of only four black recreation centers in St. Louis at the time. The project will rehabilitate both the interior and exterior of the structure and make modifications to improve accessibility. The interior rehabilitation will include the removal of hazardous materials such as asbestos and lead paint.

Congress appropriates funding for the HBCU grant program through the Historic Preservation Fund. The Fund uses revenue from federal oil leases on the Outer Continental Shelf to provide assistance for a broad range of preservation projects, not tax dollars.

Following is the full list of projects funded:

HBCU Grant Recipients Project State  Amount
Philander Smith College Renovation of the James Monroe Cox Administration Building, Phase II

Arkansas

 $304,258

Howard University Founders Library Handicap Accessibility Renovation

District of Columbia

 $500,000

Delaware State University Preservation of Historic Loockerman Hall

Delaware

 $500,000

Clark Atlanta University Rehabilitation of Park Street Methodist Episcopal Church

Georgia

 $500,000

Fort Valley State University Renovation of the Historic Bywaters Building

Georgia

 $470,000

Harris-Stowe State University Rehabilitating the Vashon Community Center

Missouri

 $500,000

Tougaloo College Interior Rehabilitation of the John W. Boddie House

Mississippi

 $270,000

Johnson C. Smith University Preservation of Biddle Memorial Hall

North Carolina

 $496,186

Livingstone College Rehabilitation of Andrew Carnegie Library

North Carolina

 $500,000

Shaw University Rehabilitation of Tupper Memorial & Estey Halls within Raleigh’s East Raleigh-South Park Historic District

North Carolina

 $480,000

Saint Augustine University  Preservation of the Saint Augustine’s University Chapel

North Carolina

 $312,250

South Carolina State University Preservation of Wilkinson Hall

South Carolina

 $500,000

Voorhees College, State of South Carolina Stabilize & Preserve Booker T. Washington Hall

South Carolina

 $500,000

Benedict College Morgan Hall Preservation Project

South Carolina

 $500,000

Virginia Union University Preservation of Huntley Hall

Virginia

 $500,000

Hampton University Wigwam Preservation Project

Virginia

 $500,000

Virginia State University Preservation of Vawter Hall

Virginia

 $493,815

Virginia State University Preservation of Storum Hall

Virginia

 $274,278

Virginia University of Lynchburg Preservation of Humbles Hall

Virginia

 $499,213

Total    

 $8,600,000