(Source National Black Family Month):
(Black PR Wire) WASHINGTON – The National Park Service today awarded $10,670,000 to 15 projects in eight states as part of the Historic Preservation Fund’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities grant program, which focuses on the repair of historic structures on the campuses of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
“It’s vital for America’s HBCUs to preserve their vibrant history, ensuring that the places and the events that happened there are not forgotten,” said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams. “I’m proud that the National Park Service can support this locally-led stewardship.”
This year’s grants will support the preservation of sites like Simmons College’s Steward Hall, Delaware State University’s Hope House, and Cheyney University of Pennsylvania’s Melrose Cottage.
Simmons College, the sole private HBCU in the state of Kentucky, will rehabilitate Steward Hall, one of two remaining buildings built during the college’s peak period in 1924. The architect and builder Samuel Plato is a celebrated Black architect who also graduated from Simmons College. The grant funds will be used to rehabilitate windows and doors as well as provide foundation repairs and tuckpointing.
The Delaware State University (DSU) Downtown campus in Dover, Delaware, will rehabilitate a pre-1885, three-story frame building with Queen Anne architectural features including a mansard roof and an expansive porch. Originally owned by Wesley College, the building was acquired by DSU in 2021. The rehabilitation of the building will address the building envelope, interior water damage, and mold remediation. The rehabilitated building will be named the Hope House and provide social services for students and the community.
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, will rehabilitate Melrose Cottage, a cottage that dates to around 1785. The building served as the university president’s house from 1913 to 1951, and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The rehabilitated building will become the admission team’s hub and a welcome center for campus tours. Funding will provide repairs to the electrical systems, a fire suppression system, and address accessibility issues.
Awards
Location Project Grantee Award
Alabama
Selma Preservation of Foster Hall Selma University $750,000
Delaware
Dover Hope House Rehabilitation, Phase I Delaware State University $750,000
Florida
Tallahassee Florida A&M University Carnegie Library Rehabilitation Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University $749,997
Georgia
Augusta Rehabilitation of the Historic Peters Campus Center Paine College $750,000
Georgia
Augusta Rehabilitation of Historic Eppworth Hall Paine College $750,000
Georgia
Augusta Belle Bennett Hall Historic Rehabilitation Project Paine College $749,039
Kentucky
Louisville Steward Hall Rehabilitation Simmons College of Kentucky $750,000
Mississippi
Holly Springs Leontyne Price Library Rehabilitation Rust College $750,000
Mississippi
Lorman Harmon Hall Repairs, Phase 1 Alcorn State University $722,400
Mississippi
Lorman Dormitory #2 Rehabilitation Alcorn State University $750,000
Mississippi
Lorman Belles Lettres Hall Rehabilitation Alcorn State University $750,000
Mississippi
Jackson Preservation of the Zachary T. Hubert Health Center Jackson State University $198,564
Pennsylvania
Cheyney Thornbury Rehabilitation of Melrose Cottage Cheyney University of Pennsylvania $750,000
South Carolina
Columbia Starks Center Preservation Project Phase III Benedict College
$750,000
South Carolina
Denmark Preservation and Stabilization of the Historical St. James Academic Building Voorhees University $750,000
8 states Total 10,670,000
Congress appropriated funding for the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Grant Program in FY2023 through the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF). The HPF uses revenue from federal oil and gas leases on the Outer Continental Shelf, assisting with a broad range of preservation projects without expending tax dollars, with the intent to mitigate the loss of nonrenewable resources to benefit the preservation of other irreplaceable resources.
Established in 1977, the HPF was authorized at $150 million per year through 2024 and has provided more than $2 billion in historic preservation grants to states, Tribes, local governments, and nonprofit organizations.
Administered by the NPS, HPF funds may be appropriated by Congress to support a variety of historic preservation projects to help preserve the nation’s cultural resources. Other HPF grant programs managed by NPS fund preservation of America’s premier cultural resources and historic places in Underrepresented Communities, as well as sites key to the representation of Tribal Heritage, African American civil rights, and the History of Equal Rights in America.
For more information about NPS historic preservation programs and grants, please visit nps.gov/stlpg/
