DSU Downtown's Hope House, a more than 135-year-old edifice located at 34 N. State St., will receive some needed repairs and preservation work as the result of a $750,000 National Park Service grant recently awarded to the University. — *In this photo:* DSU Downtown’s Hope House, a more than 135-year-old edifice located at 34 N. State St., will receive some needed repairs and preservation work as the result of a $750,000 National Park Service grant recently awarded to the University.

On Campus

DSU awarded National Park Service grant for Hope House rehabilitation

Friday, November 22, 2024

Delaware State University (DSU) has received a $750,000 grant from the Department of the Interior, administered by the National Park Service to rehabilitate a house on the National Historic Registry that is on the DSU Downtown campus.

The grant is part of a $10 million dollar award to a number of HBCUs across the nation to preserve and protect its historic properties. Dr. Eleanor Kiesel, Senior Associate Dean of the DSU Wesley College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, researched and successfully wrote the grant that was awarded in July 2024, and work can now commence.

The historic property has been named the Hope House by the University and is being used as a hub for student programming and social services, such as counseling services, self-care activities, and cultural connection. The local community will be included in many activities at the facility.

“We are honored to be given this opportunity to provide programming and supportive social services to our students in this home that was originally owned by former slave owners,” Dr. Kiesel said.

The funding for the DSU property will satisfy Phase I of a project to rehabilitate this property that was pre-1885, with Queen Anne architectural features. It was acquired by DSU as part of its Wesley College acquisition in 2021 along with several other historic properties.

The Hope House came into fruition as part of the University’s establishment of the Safe Space Coalition, created to answer student calls for more intervention and prevention services for sexual assault. The Safe Space Coalition, led by Dr. Gwendolyn Scott Jones, Dean of the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, assesses University safety protocols, campus policies, and response services that deal with sexual assaults, domestic violence, harassment, bullying, mental illness, and health-related matters.

The funding will enable DSU to address the pre-1885, three-story frame building’s exterior, interior water damage, and mold remediation. The house came to DSU as part of the University’s 2021 acquisition of the former Wesley College property.