For Immediate Release
July 24, 2024
Contact Information

NewsMedia@nps.gov

(BPRW) National Park Service Awards $10.6 Million to Preserve America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities

(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 HeritageAfrican 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/

www.nps.gov

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 429 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on FacebookInstagramTwitter, and YouTube.

Source: National Park Service