PRESS ROOM: National Park Service awards $10.6 million to preserve America’s historically Black colleges and universities

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. Courtesy of Delaware State University. (Courtesy photo) By Black PR Wire(Black PR Wire) WASHINGTON – The National Park Service today (July 24) 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...