By Shaw University
On February 28, 2022, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, through its HBCU Cultural Heritage Stewardship Initiative, awarded more than $650,000 in grants to five Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to fund Cultural Heritage Stewardship Plans. Shaw University received $150,000 and will use the funds to preserve important architecture, historic assets, cultural landscapes, and collections, which represent more than 150 years of learning, growing, and empowerment for students, faculty, and alumni.
Shaw University President Dr. Paulette Dillard said, “The Shaw University community expresses its sincerest appreciation to the National Trust for Historic Preservation for awarding the campus a $150,000 planning grant to assist our efforts in preserving African American history. From educating the former enslaved to graduating some of the first African American doctors to helping ignite the civil rights movement, the legacy of Shaw University is woven into the fabric of American history. Preserving the treasures of our historic buildings will extend the knowledge and contribute to the powerful narrative about the indelible contributions of this university.”
Shaw University, founded in 1865, will develop a campus-wide plan to support and coordinate ongoing preservation of its 65-acre campus. In recent years, Shaw has undertaken rehabilitation of historic Leonard Hall (1883) and Estey Hall (1873). The campus-wide plan will enable the university to develop rehabilitation plans for additional historic buildings as well as address the goal of connecting its campus back to downtown Raleigh while removing public access barriers.
