Miles College will preserve and restore the oldest building on its campus, and Alabama State University will preserve a building integral to the civil rights movement, thanks to HBCU grants from the Historic Preservation Fund.
The two are among 20 schools receiving a portion of $9.7 million in grants awarded during this round of funding. The money is designated for HBCU grants for the preservation of historic structures on campuses.
At Miles, a $499,869 grant will go toward preserving and restoring Williams Hall, built in 1907 and the oldest building on the Miles campus. It was the site of several civil rights era events and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
“This grant permits us to move forward with the next phase of the restoration process to preserve this key historic landmark,” said Miles College President Bobbie Knight. “We are grateful to the Historic Preservation Fund and National Park Service for their vision to save and restore monuments significant to African American cultural history in America.”
At ASU, a $493,200 grant will assist in preservation of George Washington Trenholm Hall, used by organizers of the civil rights movement, including the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The building currently houses academic classrooms and faculty offices.
“This grant will assist the university in our efforts to renovate, restore and preserve historic campus buildings,” said ASU President Quinton T. Ross Jr. “We are extremely grateful that George Washington Trenholm Hall was selected by the National Park Service to be one of the recipients of these transformational grants.”
The National Park Service administers the Historic Preservation Fund.
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