CLEVELAND ó Lowe’s and the National Trust for Historic Preservation to Fund Projects has awarded a $50,000 grant to go toward the restoration of the historic R.A. Clement School.
It is among four restoration projects planned for Rosenwald schools in North Carolina and 17 in the southern United States.
Funding for these grants was provided by Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation through a $1 million contribution to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
This is the third year Lowe’s has supported the trust with a $1 million grant.
The R.A. Clement Rosenwald School, constructed in 1928, will undergo a complete interior and exterior restoration as part of a larger restoration project.
Once complete, it will serve as a community center, children’s library and assembly room for local events, a much-needed facility since the 2007 closing of the western branch of the Rowan County YMCA.
The Rosenwald schools were built by Julius Rosenwald and Booker T. Washington between 1918 and 1932 as part of a school-building program for African Americans in the rural South.
Today, only about 10 percent of the more than 5,300 buildings remain standing, and many of those are in serious disrepair.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation named Rosenwald schools to its list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in 2002.
“The Rosenwald schools tell a story of extraordinary generosity,” said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “In a time of great racial inequality, Julius Rosenwald worked with communities across the South and Southwest to improve educational opportunities for African Americans.
“These schools represent a critical link to our national heritage, and we are very pleased that Lowe’s understands the importance of preserving the important places that tell America’s story.”
Larry D. Stone, chairman of the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation, said the Rosenwald schools “encouraged a sense of community and paved the way for previously unimaginable educational opportunities. Time and neglect have put these schools in danger, and we need to act now to save these structures that are as significant to the local community’s civic life as they are to our nation’s history.”
Other North Carolina Rosenwald schools receiving grant funds are the Ware Creek Rosenwald School in Blounts Creek, the Hamilton Rosenwald School in Hamilton and the Warren County Training School in Wise.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a nonprofit membership organization that helps revitalize neighborhoods and communities, spark economic development and promote environmental sustainability.
For more information on Rosenwald schools, go to www.rosenwaldschools.com.
In 2007, Lowe’s and the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation together contributed more than $25 million to support community and education projects in the United States and Canada.
For more information, visit Lowes.com/community.