Shaw Receives $538,200 Grant From National Park Service To Repair And Preserve Estey Hall 

RALEIGH, N.C. – On Feb. 9, the National Park Service awarded $4.48 million to eight projects in seven states as part of the Historic Preservation Fund’s History of Equal Rights grant program. Shaw University received a $538,200 grant award to help preserve Estey Hall and to repair the roof of the 150-year-old building, which houses the administrative offices for the university. 

This restoration project is supported through the History of Equal Rights grant program, provided by the Historic Preservation Fund, as administered by the National Park Service, Department of Interior.  The History of Equal Rights grant program focuses on the preservation of sites directly associated with the struggle for all Americans to gain equal rights.  

NPS Director Chuck Sams said: “Equal rights are an enduring struggle in America. Through the History of Equal Rights grant program, the National Park Service helps States, Tribes, local governments, and nonprofit organizations invest in locally-led preservation of historic structures honoring some of our nation’s most defining and important history.”

Built in 1874, Estey Hall was the first building constructed for the higher education of Black women in the United States. Its location is fitting being on the campus of Shaw University, one of the oldest Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the nation. Named after the industrialist donor, Jacob Estey, who contributed to the hall’s construction, it is the oldest surviving building of the university’s 150-year history of educating Black women. This grant will continue the preservation of Estey Hall by helping repair its roof.  

Dr. Paulette Dillard, President of Shaw University, said, “We are so appreciative of the National Park Service and its History of Equal Rights grant program, which is enabling Shaw University to invest in the preservation of Estey Hall, our oldest building – and one of the most iconic buildings – on campus.” 

Shaw University, located in Raleigh, North Carolina, is the first historically Black institution of higher education founded in North Carolina and is among the oldest in the nation. The University was founded in 1865 by Henry Martin Tupper. Dr. Paulette Dillard currently serves as the University’s 18th President. For more information, visit: www.shawu.edu