News Release

National Park Service awards $9.7 million to preserve America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities

The historic Mansion House on the Hampton University campus was built in 1828 as the home of the Little Scotland Plantation, and then served as the president’s residence for the University from 1893-2022 in Hampton, Virginia.

Hampton University

News Release Date: May 5, 2023

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WASHINGTON – The National Park Service (NPS) awarded $9.7 million to 14 projects in 10 states today 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). 

“These grants enable historic educational institutions to preserve the story of African American education and the campuses where new experiences and stories continue to evolve today,” said NPS Director Chuck Sams. “Through the Historically Black Colleges and Universities grants program, the National Park Service supports our HBCUs in the preservation of their historic campus structures and history.” 

This year’s grants will support the preservation of sites like Hampton University’s Mansion House and Selma University’s Pollard Hall. 

• Built in 1828, as the home for the 160-acre Little Scotland Plantation, the Mansion House pre-dates the founding of Hampton University by 40 years. During the Civil War, the Mansion House served as a hospital for nearby Camp Hamilton. Beginning in 1867, it served as the residence for teachers and General Armstrong, who founded Hampton University in 1868. In 1893, it became the home for Hampton University presidents. The building housed university presidents until August 2022 and is a contributing resource to the Hampton University National Historic Landmark District, which was listed in November of 1969. This grant project will address upgrades to the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, repair deteriorated structural elements and repair and restore the outside of the building and deteriorated finishes. 

• Built in 1916, Pollard Hall of Selma University, founded as the Alabama Baptist Normal and Theological School in 1878, served as an administrative center for visitors, a meeting place for major figures in Black education, such as Booker T. Washington, and a home for several university presidents. Pollard Hall is a contributing resource to the proposed Selma University Historic District. This grant project will help repair the roof, HVAC system, and electrical and plumbing systems and install an elevator. The grant recipient will also contribute $496,414 in matching funds. 

The full list of HBCU grant recipients is below.  

Awards 

Location	Project	Grantee	Award
Alabama,  Selma	Preservation of Pollard Hall	Selma University	$750,000
Florida,  Tallahassee	Jackson Davis Hall Preservation Project	Florida A&M University	$746,558
Georgia,  Atlanta	Rehabilitation of Fountain (Stone) Hall – The Hard Reset	Morris Brown College	$453,462
Louisiana,  New Orleans	Rehabilitation of Howard House	Dillard University	$750,000
Mississippi,  Jackson	Historic Mt. Olive Cemetery Phase II	Jackson State University	$500,000
North Carolina,  Elizabeth City	Principal’s House Rehabilitation – Northeastern North Carolina African American Research and Cultural Heritage Institute	Elizabeth City State University	$750,000
North Carolina,  Raleigh	Masonic Temple Rehabilitation	Saint Augustine’s University	$749,980
Ohio,  Wilberforce	Rehabilitation of the Academic Complex at Wilberforce University	Wilberforce University	$750,000
South Carolina,  Columbia	Morgan Hall Preservation Extension Project – Phase III	Benedict College	$750,000
South Carolina,  Columbia	Rehabilitation of Antisdel Chapel	Benedict College	$750,000
South Carolina,  Columbia	The Coppin Hall Preservation Project	Allen University	$750,000
South Carolina,  Orangeburg	Wilkinson Hall Pathway to Full Rehabilitation – Phase IV	South Carolina State University	$750,000
Texas,  Marshall	Wiley Pemberton Preservation Project	Wiley College	$500,000
Virginia,  Hampton	Mansion House Preservation Project	Hampton University	$750,000
Total			$9,700,000

 
Congress appropriated funding for the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Grant Program in FY2022 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, with the intent to mitigate the loss of nonrenewable resources and benefit the preservation of other irreplaceable resources without using tax dollars. 

Established in 1977 and authorized at $150 million per year through 2023, the HPF has provided more than $2 billion in historic preservation grants to states, Tribes, local governments, and nonprofit organizations. Administered by the NPS, Congress may appropriate HPF funds to support a variety of historic preservation projects to help preserve the nation’s cultural resources. 

Please visit the NPS historic preservation programs and grants website for more information.  

www.nps.gov 

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 424 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 Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.